Years of not being able to find the cordless phone, scotch tape, screwdriver and flashlight are over.   No more juggling workspace with kids homework, school projects, sports equipment, and electronic “stuff”.

Both of my sons recently left for college. At first, I did my share of tears,
feeling lost, empty and sad. Then after being gone from home a few days, both of my sons were calling, texting and e-mailing. I have been speaking to them more now than when they were living at home.

That’s when I realized, this is a good thing! I now have the best of both worlds.  My children, my house and some freedom, sweet freedom!!

Ergonomics is all about making things work for you, your body, your well being and your lifestyle. Here are some tips I came up with for my fellow empty nesters or soon to be empty nesters.

1.    Clean out those drawers and cabinets filled with all your kids old school papers.

2.    Reassign that drawer/cabinet to you.  Make sure you figure out what you want to put in it, then get a container or box just the right size with sections to keep it organized

3.    Clear out the extra sports equipment, art supplies and miscellaneous stuff. Sell it or pass it along for another kid to enjoy and benefit from.

4.    Use that extra space you now have and get your own home workstation.

5. Be spontaneous.  You can do it now!! Get in your car and take a trip with your spouse or a friend for the day or weekend.  Get to know yourself all over again.

6.    Take a class just for the fun of it.

7.    Remember, now that you do not need to juggle workspace with your kids, you can set your work area up so that it is designed meet your specific needs and to give you the best support, comfort and efficiency.  Best part about it is you can get up and leave the workstation and when you come back it is exactly how you left it!  Sweet!!!

Is it worth saving a few dollars?

I have always  prided myself on being a great  bargain shopper.   It was not until my recent trip to New York that I began to think about ratio of dollars to comfort.  I flew Economy on the way there, but upgraded with frequent flyer points to First Class coming back.

What a difference!
It really got me thinking…….Is it worth saving a few dollars to pay the price in other ways.

Packed like a sardine with no room for your legs, seats that are broken without adjustment, no footrest and not even getting peanuts on a 5-hour flight is no bargain!  Obviously, without frequent flyer points (or a rich uncle) traveling First Class is  not an option for most of us, but if you do a little research, you can at least get to your destination without severe neck and back pain.

Here’s a few tips:

• Find out what type of aircraft you will be flying.  According to Seatguru.com, among the domestic lines, JetBlue and United’s Economy Plus cabins are the best.  The tightest airplanes are  767s with 8-across seating, 777s with 10-across, and Airbus wide bodies with 9-across. It may be worth paying a few extra dollars for a little more leg room on these.
• Always request a aisle seat, exit row or the bulkhead. You get more legroom and have the flexibility to get up from your seat and walk around without bothering your neighbor.
• Bring your own pillow and travel blanket (AA now charges $5.00 for a pillow and blanket).  You can use it as a pillow or a support for your arm when reading during the flight.
• Take along a foam or inflatable footrest.  This can help keep your blood circulating and not pooling in your feet and legs during the trip.  This can be very dangerous to your health as in blood clots and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT).
• Exercise your ankles while seated by pointing and flexing your feet.
• Bring your own snack- Even if  the airline you are flying on has food for sale.  It is not worth $10.00 for the finger size sandwich and chips
• Turn the overhead air nozzle to circulate the air in front of your face area so you are not breathing the stagnant re-circulated air.

Happy travels,

YOUR EYES ARE TOO IMPORTANT TO NEGLECT

By Steve Gray, A.O.E.S.

How we use our eyes has changed more in the last 20 years than it has in the previous 30,000 years!  We have gone from using our eyes primarily for distance to spending our time only looking 10-25 inches. We all (over 70 million of us) now have computers in the home, office and even in our pockets as cell phones.

7 WAYS TO SAVE YOUR EYES

1. 20/20/20 Rule:  Every 20 minutes take 20 seconds and focus on something 20 ft. away from your monitor.  This works the eye muscles and keeps them from getting stuck in a super-near vision setting.

2. Adjust your computer screen:   Do you know that you can adjust the foreground and background color of your computer monitor?  Make sure the contrast between the screen background and the on-screen characters is high and that the text is a size and color that is comfortable seen.

3. Glare:  Glare can cause eye fatigue and headaches. And besides that, it is painful! We all know the harsh reality of glare. If you can see your reflection in your monitor, trust me…your monitor has glare!  Use a glare screen and tilt your monitor away from the light source  

4. Dry eyes:  Here’s the secret!!! BLINK!  People using computers blink less often so their eyes are not lubricated and thus, they’re not being protected.  It’s very simple…just blink more often.

5. Take a Break: Move away from the monitor.  Even if it is just for a few seconds, those precious seconds can make a big difference.
6. Eye protection:   Most of us think eye protection means those large goggles you wear when you go into a production area but eye protection in the computer arena does not mean big ugly goggles, these days it can mean very light, comfortable, and stylish eyewear that looks good and feels good on your eyes. Prescription Computer glasses are highly recommended.  Talk to an optometrist, they will help you protect your eyes

7. Monitor placement: Where you place your monitor makes a huge difference.  Position your monitor approximately arms-length directly in front and in alignment with your keyboard.  You should be able to view your entire monitor without flexing or bending or twisting your neck.  

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Did you know your keyboard, computer mouse and desktop are bacteria magnets?

The typical desk has 100 times more germs than the average toilet seat per Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona.

According to Dr. Gerba’s study, office telephones contained the most bacteria at an average of 25,127 bacteria per surface, desktops had 20,961 bacteria per surface, 3,295 per square inch on keyboards and1,676 microbes per square inch on mice.

Gerba has also found on average, women’s offices had the germiest telephones, computer keyboards, computer mice and pens, while men’s offices had the most bacteria-ridden desks. But men still win the prize for the germiest item of all.  Men’s wallets were the single germiest item in any office–four times worse than women’s purses.

A few things you can do to keep germs away from your office:

• At least once a week keep a container of disinfecting wipes at your station. Wipe down your desk, computer keyboard, mouse, phone receiver and/or headset, as well as dialing pad and any surrounding desk space
  
• Keep anti-bacterial hand sanitizer at your desk or station is also very helpful. Use it regularly throughout the day.
  
• Do not eat at your desk. It can create both germ and mold issues. Save the eating for the lunchroom, restaurant, park bench or any other place away from your desk.
  
• Make sure all coffee mugs and drinking glasses are washed thoroughly. This may seem like common sense, but always using hot water and soap. Also, try to avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes. Bacteria are often spread after touching something contaminated and then making contact with the “germ-sensitive” areas of the body.
• Consider purchasing an air purifier to help control bacteria and viruses
  
• If you’re sick, don’t go to work.

Photo Courtesy of Healthkicker

The winner of 2010’s esteemed “Creativity in Ergonomics Award”

Johnny Joe Weisman

Before                           After

Having lived in a small apartment in New York City I know the challenges of making the most out of a small space. Incorporating an office into your bathroom, that’s a new one.  Johnny has implemented some very “interesting” ergonomic innovations and according to him he’s been able to move out of his high-rent office and downsize.

Let’s take a look at what he has done…

Let’s take a look at what he has done…

• Made comfort his number 1 priority

• Eliminated sharp edges to his work surfaces reducing the contact stress of long periods of working in a seated  position.

• From the photo it looks like Johnny has positioned his important equipment within a comfortable reach and at the right height.  Can’t really tell for sure without seeing him sitting on the seat.

That’s OK Johnny, no need to send another photo of you hard at work at your new workstation!

We have faith that you have spent a great deal of time in the comfort of this “office”.

Johnny Joe Weisman has taken the science of ergonomics and with  his unconventional application has created a whole new industry. “Ergo-John”

You have given a whole new meaning to the old adage “The Job is not finished until the paperwork is completed”.

Congratulations-Johnny Joe Weisman

Ergonomics and the Olympics
I just spoke with my son, Ryan who is bouncing back and forth between Olympic events in Vancouver and snowboarding the beautiful mountain at Whistler Resort about 80 miles north of Vancouver. He is having the time of his life.

When I watch the athletes competing in the various events, do you know what I think about? Ergonomics! Why? Because these athletes depend on the efficiency and functionality of their equipment to allow them to produce optimally. Hockey players and speed skaters sharpen their skates to get an edge (literally), and snowboarders wax their snowboards to overcome drag and resistance. In order to compete at their best, they must eliminate or overcome as many blocks, barriers and resistance as possible because these work against their peak performance.

Occupational ergonomics is the very same concept. A worker cannot perform to their peak abilities if they encounter resistance. Resistance in this case can come from poor workstation design, work tools and equipment that cannot be adjusted to the user’s specific needs.

If one of the small figure skaters that wear a size 5 had to wear a size 14 skate, do you think it might affect her ability to perform and compete against the rest of the competition? The same applies to your work environment; your computer monitor, your chair, keyboard and mouse options and the other important tools we use in the office. Without the properly adjusted equipment and properly designed workstation, you cannot get the best (physically or mentally) from your employees and office workers. Performance really falls off when the cumulative effect of the barriers and resistance results in discomfort and leads to injury. When athletes “play hurt” it detracts from their effectiveness and expertise and the same Office Athlete”. Look at the ergonomic issues you may be dealing with and make some changes. If you need help with identifying problems, give us a call, send us some digital photos and we’ll help you so you can operate like a true “Office Olympian”. You can help your company “bring home the gold”!
Contact us for further assistance 760-632-8350

As some of you know, I was in the high Sierras last weekend. Fantastic snow!…if you like that kinda thing.

My son and his buddies snowboarded for three straight days, early to late. I, on the other hand, being someone who thinks July is a chilly month, retreated to our cabin, built a fire and looked at the beautiful scenery from inside, warm & dry.

You might be wondering, “what’s this headline – dose of my own medicine?” Well, here’s what I mean

On almost a daily basis I have a discussion with someone regarding the best way to work with a laptop, I mean ergonomically speaking. I disclose this information without any hesitation or reservations because I know it to be the truth.

In the haste to get up to Mammoth Mt., I remembered my laptop, but I forgot my keyboard. Rats!

There I was, warm & dry, and I thought I wonder if there’s a place I could pickup a cheap keyboard just to get me through. As I pondered some more, warm & dry, I thought to myself….”OK how much are you going to be on this laptop, anyway?” You’ve probably guessed it, while viewing through the beautiful panoramic windows out over the frozen tundra I pondered some more and then said to myself….”Not much, probably” Yea Right.

Here’s the problem with the laptop. Either your neck is bent down looking at the screen…or your shoulders and arms are hiked up and tensed all the time. It’s a “No Win” without other tools like external keyboard and mouse, and sometimes an extra monitor (if you don’t have the keyboard/mouse set up).

Well, its four days later, my neck still sore and stiff, I decided that session with my massage therapist might help, and it did.

Now, retrospecting my lesson learned, “my dose of my own medicine”, if you will, was that if you find yourself on your laptop somewhere without your external keyboard and mouse, by all means…Have them DELIVERED!

As a result of this experience we now offering LAPTOP ON THE GO. Everything you need for comfort when you travel

Take a look at this combo package. It includes: an adjustable laptop stand, wireless mouse, wireless keyboard, and a great laptop bag that holds all of it http://www.theergonomicstore.com/laptop-solutions/229-laptop-on-the-go.html

Is Your Desk A War Zone?
Are you Inundated by information?

People today are inundated by information. Where ever someone goes, looks at or listens to, they are bombarded by messages of one kind or another. Some of it can be managed. The phone can be put down, email closed, TV and radio shut off. It is the stuff sent or given to us that truly clutters our lives.

Where ever someone goes, looks at or listens to, they are bombarded by messages of one kind or another. Some of it can be managed. The phone can be put down, email closed, TV and radio shut off. It is the stuff sent or given to us that truly clutters our lives.

New mail, reports on various clients or from different departments, business proposals, invoices, industry mailings, magazines and advertisements are just a part of what could find a place on your desk each day. In most cases, we all seem to be firefighters at work. We run from issue to client to meeting so often, the items on our desk are the last things we ever get to. If you string a few of those days together, your desk will disappear under mountains of paperwork.

Not having enough space in your primary work zone creates stress and increases the risk of injury. You may find yourself performing extended reaching, working in awkward postures and generally more fatigued. Inadequate leg clearance constricts movement and limits circulation. Monitor Screen clutter is also an issue and may contribute to eyestrain, neck strain and shoulder strain.

Disorganization of employees can cost companies thousands of dollars.

According to Fellows, It is estimated that an employee wastes an hour a day looking for misplaced items. If you estimate the cost based on a company with 100 employees, an average annual salary of $60,000, a 40-hour workweek and 2 weeks of vacation. The wasted time adds up to:

• $15,000 per week
• $65,000 per month
• $780,000 per year

43% of Americans categorize themselves as disorganized, and 21% have missed vital work deadlines. Nearly half say disorganization causes them to work late at least 2 or times each week.
Jane Von Bergen, “So many reasons to neaten up…”, Boston Globe 3/12/06
Esselte survey, David Lewis
So how do we fix the mess on our desks? Here are some ideas to get things moving in the right direction.

Here are some ideas to get things moving in the right direction.

1. Place items most frequently used within minimal arms reach

2. Remove any items under your desk that impede your leg clearance

3. Time-block a section of time on your calendar and treat it like a meeting, the work on the desk would get the attention it needs and maybe save you some stress and maybe even your job. Pick Friday afternoons, this way when you walk in on Monday morning, you have a clean desk and know what the priorities are for that day.

4. Use the TV show “Clean Sweep” idea of three piles or containers. The “keep” pile is the one with all of the important paperwork that cannot be lost.

5. The “move” pile is for anything you want to take home or that another person could use. Magazines or other industry specific items that you might need to refer back to would go here. Use a drawer or plastic box to store these in and “move” the magazines there.

6. Everything else goes in the toss pile to be shredded, recycled or disposed of.

Unless that is the actual goal, the surface of your desk doesn’t have to be sterile and completely devoid of paper. The objective is to organize your desk so that it increases efficiency and decreases the risk of injury. If that means several neat piles on your desk, then so be it, as long as everything you keep helps you meet your goal of increased efficiency.

These are just a few ideas to help you streamline your work environment. These same concepts can work in your home as well.

Please respond and give me your opinion of these suggestions and I hope some of my faithful readers send in suggestions and tips of their own that work for them.

Photo Al Gore in his office (Steve Pyke for Time).

It’s that season again! NFL Playoffs are here. We all have our favorite teams and congrats if your team is still playing.
Being a Charger fan, I am expecting big things this year. Has our time finally come?

Most of us enjoy sitting in front of the tube, watching the games, eating and drinking and having fun with friends and family.

How does this all relate to ergonomics? Because, in reality everything we do relates to ergonomics. Here are some guidelines to help you through the perilous dangers of watching your teams on TV.

• Don’t drink too much and pass out in the snow.
• Remember to get up out of your chair to let your body circulate the blood and oxygen. If you are drinking beer, this won’t be a problem, but remember the previous warning about drinking too much.
• Don’t go out at half time and start running full speed passing routes without warming up first. My neighbor did this a few years back, snapped his Achilles’ tendon and wore a cast for the next 9 months.
• If you are a very enthusiastic and vocal fan, remember to keep your voice in the lower sound range rather that straining your vocal cords with high-pitched screams.
• If you are lucky enough to have playoff tickets, take along your own stadium seat with lower back support and buttocks support. You’ll be glad you did! Check it out
• Bring along some hand warmer and foot warmer packs. They stay warm for hours./>
• If you can, position your chair so that you face the TV directly instead of watching the entire with your head and neck twisted to one side.
• When mixing up guacamole and other dips, use your entire body weight rather that only wrist and hand force. ☺☺
• If you are tailgating or taking stuff to a friend’s house to watch the game, remember “Don’t lift with your back”. Instead, bend your knees, using your leg power (keeping your back straight) when you take out the coolers and supplies from your vehicle.
• If you are eating or computing while watching the game, use a laptop tray or a very light, stand-alone table that you can position directly in front of you when you need it and easily move it out of the way when you don’t.

Check it out