The ongoing pandemic has many people working from home. While it helps in flattening the curve, it exposes employees to a wide variety of workplace safety risks. A safe work-from-home environment is utterly crucial for maintaining sound health, contentment, and productivity. Here are 6 tips that can help you avoid work from home injuries while working from home:
- Have an Ergonomically Correct Workplace and Life setup
Since many employees are working remotely for the first time, they don’t have a dedicated workstation at home. Basic health and safety measures can fall by the wayside while working at home. Having a comfortable and healthy setup not only eliminates the risks but also is the key to staying productive.
So, making an ergonomic sweet spot for working at home is a necessity. Sit in a comfortable upright position with ample back support and padding. Reduce eye strain by sitting in good lighting and minimizing screen glare. Overhead fluorescent lights come to the rescue when it comes to easing eye strain. Position your screen at about 20-30 inches from your eyes, centered straight ahead.
Repetitive strain injury and back pain are the most common work from home injuries If you don’t have an office chair, you can adjust your seating position with the help of cushions. They provide the padding necessary for maintaining good posture without straining your back.
A big chunk of these work from home injuries are a result of faults in your posture. To combat this, you should consider investing in a support pillow. A well-designed foam wedge pillow can go a long way in keeping your back solid and your upper-body strength intact.
- Maintain the Habit of Exercising Regularly
Regular exercise after waking up not only strengthens your body and muscles but also has mental benefits. Performing simple stretches throughout your workday also helps you stay active and avoid work from home injuries. This becomes necessary because being sedentary for long intervals poses a much higher risk to your body. This also gives you a break from work-related activities and hence contributes to reducing stress.
- Have a Work Routine
Working from home can make the borders of work and home subtle. This creates the urge to multitask and lead to higher levels of stress, disorderly sleep schedules, and work-from-home injuries. For instance, washing dishes or cooking while being on a conference call can lead to cuts or burns. The distraction that comes with multitasking also harms your productivity.
So, by having a clear separation between home and work can help you focus on one thing at a time. Having clear boundaries helps you give undivided attention to work and makes your workplace better and safer.
- Take Regular Breaks
Taking regular breaks during the workday is necessary. Stretching your neck, back, and legs throughout the day help you re-energize. Don’t do anything work-related during these breaks. You can grab a cup of tea, go for a walk, or do something relaxing that will help your mind reboot. Make sure you take these breaks away from the work station.
- Keep Your Workplace Setup Tidy
Workplace injuries can sneak up to you due to slips, trips, and falls. Now that you’re working at home with lesser open walkways, the risks of injuries increase. Hence, you don’t want another load of liability by keeping it cluttered. Tidying up your floors helps in eliminating the chances of tripping and falling.
Watch out for household objects that might be tripping hazards like toys, cords, rugs, etc. Check for spilled water and wear proper footwear inside your homes that eliminate the chances of slipping. Don’t carry much weight and have adequate lighting while moving to prevent falling accidents.
To sum up, maintaining physical and mental well-being is crucial for working remotely. With the correct steps and measures, you can eliminate risks and maintain greater productivity and wellness while working from home.
