Office related injuries and how to avoid them

It sounds crazy but people that work in an office are just as likely to get injured as say, Tradesmen who work with dangerous tools every day. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true – many dangerous things happen in offices, and this leads to injury. It happens very easily, and very quickly so it can be hard to see it’s coming and avoid it. However, knowing what these possible common injuries are is a step in the right direction; so read on to find out more!

Watch your step

Did you know that an office worker is twice as likely to have a serious fall at work, than someone who doesn’t work in an office? Crazy, hey! This is generally because other such workplaces see falling as a risk and do all they can to avoid it from happening – basically their safety precautions are of a higher standard. Many office workers fall over loose cables or carpeting, objects left in the walkway, even open desk drawers. Another big one is using a chair as a ladder – this can lead to very serious injury. If one of these things has happened to you and you’ve taken a serious fall, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation; head to www.tfqlawyers.com.au. The best way to avoid this kind of injury is to ensure everyone in the office is covering up any cables, alerting someone if the carpet is unsafe, remembering to close their drawers, etc. It’s also always smart to invest in a good step ladder!

Lift correctly!

So many injuries occur when people take it upon themselves to lift very heavy objects, like boxes, without knowing how. The proper way to lift something heavy is to bend at the knees, tighten your core muscles, hold the object close to you whilst maintaining your spines’ natural curve. Don’t lift something that your body tells you is too heavy – asking someone to help is better than seriously injuring your back!

Don’t throw things around the office

It sounds crazy – “how can a flying pencil really hurt anyone?” Have you ever taken a pencil to the eye before? It hurts! Many people think that it’s okay to throw little items around the office; the items they throw tend to get bigger and bigger until really heavy staplers are being shot 10 feet across the room. From now on, get up and pass someone the calculator they asked for; it’ll take 10 more seconds away from working, but avoid giving a colleague a concussion – it’s definitely worth it!

Sit correctly

The number one way to avoid back pain at work is to ensure your chair is perfectly aligned for your body. Proper posture at work is having your feet flat on the floor while you’re comfortably leaning against the back of the chair, your knees are in line with your hips and your lower back is supported by the chair. A small footstool at your feet can rectify these things, if the chair is too big.

Injuries in an office are common occurrences, but there are definitely ways to avoid them from happening. Just remember, safety first! Follow these simple steps and you should have an injury free work place in no time.