Workplace Wellness | How to reduce your risk of injury at work
Take care of your body when you’re on the clock
Whether you work at an office, onsite or at home – you spend about a quarter of your time on the job. As such, your workplace could be where you accidentally niggle an injury. Not the sports field. Not the gym. Work. Here’s how.
Common workplace injuries
In Australia, Safe Work is the government statutory body who work in partnership with the government, employers and employees to drive Work Health & Safety (WHS) policy. Regardless of your industry, your workplace is responsible for following a code of practice to ensure you are as safe as possible at work. That said, accidents or human errors can still happen. Commonly, these tend to be:
Trips, slips and falls resulting from slippery surfaces, poor lighting or trip hazards in the physical environment.
Muscle strains caused by manual tasks, using heavily vibrating tools, or working in a fixed position.
Repetitive motion injuries in your wrists, hands or fingers. These injuries can develop for anyone that works with their hands: office workers, hairdressers, musicians, factory assembly line workers, carpenters and other manual trades.
5 tips to avoid workplace injuries
Your regular activities at work can unknowingly contribute to ongoing wear and tear on your body. To take care of yourself when you’re on the clock you can:
Be active: Get up and move throughout your day, or shift. Sustained positions, like sitting, locks you muscles in a fixed position – something your body wasn’t originally designed to be good at. Our top tip to manage this at work is to perform opposing movements. For example, if you’re sitting all day – stand. If you’re typing for lengthy periods – stop and invert your hands for a minute.
Keep your workspace clean and tidy: cords, handbags, gym bags and other personal items can act as trip hazards in the office. Take the time to place items away or safely out of the way to ensure you, or a colleague, doesn’t trip on it in a hurry.
Manage your workspace ergonomics: ensure you review your desk setup regularly to ensure you are reducing your risk of neck, shoulder, back, wrist or hand injuries. Here’s how to get the basics right.
Don’t be a hero: Protect your back when completing manual lifting - use support equipment, ask a colleague to share the load and remember to practice safe lifting technique.
Reduce your stress load: Poor concentration is connected to sleeping difficulties which can result from job-related stress. Find some tips to manage stress in your life here.
Are you nursing any workplace injuries?
As chiropractors, we can treat a wide range of injuries like muscle strains. Utilising the latest chiropractic techniques, we will investigate the source of your pain, treat it and offer you tailored advice on how to prevent injuries at work.
Learn More
At Sydney Spine and Sports Clinic, we put you first. We believe in offering chiropractic care that enables you to make informed and educated choices about your health. If you are suffering pain and would like to talk to us about how we can help you get mobile and active again – get in touch right here.