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Work-From-Home Risks: The Toll of Bad Ergonomics

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The early days of COVID-19 saw employees camped at home, using kitchen tables, beds, sofas and whatever else they could use as makeshift workstations. The compounding stress of prolonged sub-optimal work conditions in a residential environment is taking a significant toll on the workforce’s physical health and mental wellbeing.

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Unless organizations intervene to address this situation, the problem is likely going to snowball into a very expensive oversight.
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Ergonomics aims to increase efficiency and productivity, and reduce discomfort. If left uncorrected, however, an un-ergonomic desk-chair-monitor-keyboard combination can lead to numerous manifestations of so-called “sitting disease,” such as repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), fatigue, vision complications, metabolic syndrome (weight gain and diabetes), circulatory issues in the legs, and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) like chronic back, neck and shoulder pains.

The appalling work-from-home conditions for millions of employees in the United States may also soon be a nightmare for HR when it faces massive payouts for occupational injuries and MSD complications. The productivity losses that will ensue may also impact organizational performance as a whole.

Minimizing Workstation-Related Health Risks During Quarantine

Here is a snapshot of typical company costs for treatment of MSD-related complaints, in terms of direct and indirect workers’ compensation. In some regions, the average claim amounts for these kinds of injuries can be two to four times larger. Multiply these numbers by the number of potentially affected employees, and the math begins to look pretty grim:

• Wrist/Carpal tunnel injury: $7,600 average cost

• Tennis Elbow: $9,100 average cost

• Shoulder/Rotator Cuff injury: $14,800 average cost

• Neck injury: $21,000 average cost

To address these issues, employers can improve work conditions at home by offering ergonomic solutions. Ergonomic workstation equipment, such as sit-to-stand desks and proper standing mats, monitor arms, keyboard trays, active chairs and other flexible accessories help mitigate the most common health risks associated with desk jobs, such as back and neck pain, eye strain, wrist and carpal tunnel injury, and sitting disease. Here is a breakdown of the most common injuries and the office equipment that may address each:

Back and Neck Pain is caused by a lack of movement while holding the body in a fixed (often awkward) position, forcing discs to bulge and exert pressure on the spinal nerve. One solution is ergonomic sit-stand desks and desk converters, which allow employees to work while standing. This stretches out the spine, relieving pressures that accumulate in the back and neck areas.

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More time spent standing also reduces risks of heart disease and high blood sugar while boosting the body’s metabolic rate for weight loss, increased energy and improved mood.

Eye Strain is caused by having a computer monitor placed too close or too far away from the face, making the eyes work harder to focus or forcing the body to lean forward and strain the neck and eyes. One solution is an ergonomic monitor arm, which allows the user to move the screen forward or back and up and down to keep the center of the screen comfortably located between 15 and 20 degrees below horizontal eye level.

Wrist and Carpal Tunnel Injury is caused by long hours of keyboard use, resulting in painful fluid build-up, pressure on the median nerve, as well as awkward positioning of the hand and wrist while typing. A vertical mouse, which places the hand in an upright position, or an ergronomic keyboard tray can prevent this injury.

Sitting Disease and physical inactivity can lead to health consequences such as obesity, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, accumulation of belly fat and abnormal cholesterol levels. Switching from sitting to standing to walking throughout the day is the most prudent regimen. Using a treadmill desk can help mitigate the debilitating consequences of sitting disease while potentially giving the body more oxygen, increased focus and enhanced mental acuity.

The human body was not designed to sit for many hours at a time doing repetitive work. Before the industrial revolution, people spent only three hours per day sitting. COVID-19 has effectively made an already known health risk many times worse by restricting employees indoors and forcing them to work off beds, sofas and kitchen tables.

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The onus is now on employers to get proactive about employee health and productivity while lowering healthcare costs.

Weighing In on Stand-Up Workstations and Exercise Balls

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Stand-up workstations and exercise balls used for sitting in place of an office chair are gaining popularity.

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This has been fueled by reports of workers at Google, Facebook and other companies trading in their chairs to stand, or bounce, while working. They cite studies of the harm that hours of sitting can do.

Even here at the RIMS office several employees prefer sitting (or bouncing) on exercise balls to the familiar rolling desk chair, or working at a stand-up desk. Risk professionals have long been discussing the merits and downsides of these two popular choices.

But are these alternative ergonomic preferences really that beneficial?

Recently in an online discussion, some members of the RIMS Opis community said they were not in favor of exercise balls as ergonomic solutions. A risk manager in Oregon stated it bluntly: “Exercise balls should be limited to fitness programs.

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Your [workers comp] will own the injury if an employee slips off the ball and hits [his or her] head or has a soft tissue injury from the fall.” Several other commenters agreed that the balls are unstable and their use is discouraged or officially prohibited.

A CEO said: “While great for encouraging engagement of your core muscles during exercise, [balls] are not good for sitting at a workstation and in fact, research shows, increase your risk of ergonomic injury.”

In fact, some research has found their benefits negligible. A study of 28 subjects found that exercise or chair balls offer no advantages over a traditional workplace chair. According to a study by BioMed Central:

Results:

The results showed no significant difference with regard to spinal curvature between seating types. Initial sitting curvature was found to increase significantly over 30 minutes in both the desk chair and stability ball. In addition the results of the usability questionnaire showed a significant difference in three of the eight questions, in favor of the desk chair.

Conclusion:

No benefits were found through sitting on a stability ball over that of a desk chair in prolonged sitting as both seating types were found to replicate a poor sitting position through a kyphosed [outwardly curved spine] and slumped posture. The clinical implications of this study serve to benefit any healthcare professional considering use of the stability ball as a replacement desk chair.

In another online comment, a Missouri risk manager suggested a compromise, elaborating that while his organization allows their use, “They cannot be free-standing balls… they must be part of a chair ball with wheels and a seat backing.”

Stand-up desks received more positive feedback. Several risk professionals cited research equating excessive sitting and sedentary lifestyles with serious chronic health problems. A number of commenters shared anecdotes about how stand-up workstations have helped employee health issues. Several users noted that in their newly renovated, or soon-to-be-renovated, offices, stand-up workstations are de rigueur.

Who pays for these workstations? Most who commented said, or implied, that their companies foot the bill for stand-up desks if an employee requests them. Most seem willing to make the investment based on reports that providing ergonomic options can reduce workers comp claims.

Not all are sold on the benefits, however. A commenter from Chicago said, “As odd as it sounds, stand-up desks may not be wholly safe…. People get tired and fall down using them. And there is no confirmation standing is less stressful than sitting. Folks very quickly started to complain of sore hips, knees, feet and spines.”

A Virginia risk manager shared the wisdom of moderation and the middle ground, saying, “While sitting is bad—and the motive for getting a standing desk—standing all day can cause myriad lower back, leg and feet issues. It would be similar to what risk managers at grocery stores have to deal with their cashiers on their feet all day. Interspersing standing with sitting is key.”

Some researchers agree with this conclusion. A New York Times article reported that 15 minutes per hour at a standing workstation is recommended over standing all day.