The Sedentary Job; A Major Catalyst in Workplace Injuries.

Scandinavian Business Seating, one of the leaders in workplace ergonomics, conducted a study on the behaviours of employees in sedentary jobs and found that 56% of them had pain related problems. The main areas were the back, neck and shoulders. The target audience was conducted with a total of 1500 respondents, both men and women aged 20 to 60 in desk bound jobs.

Research has forever shown that keeping active during the day, especially during prolonged seated periods, is the key to creating a good work situation whilst avoiding any pain. The study that SBS carried out showed us that very few employees know how to avoid these physical pains in their inactive office jobs. In addition to this, almost half of the respondents paused from their work day very rarely even though they spend over 7 hours of the day seated.

This study also showed that three quarters of the respondents admitted to a huge reduction in pain in the neck, shoulders and back every time they went on holiday. A fair amount of them also admitted to exercising less frequently and 40% of them said that they eat their lunch at their desk almost every working day.

SBS, in conjunction with ergonomists and other physical therapists, have come up with a few points on how you can improve general well-being and pain reduction at work:

• Always read your chair’s manuals carefully and learn how to adjust it to your needs.
• Unlock the tilting function if it has it. This will cause you to use your core.
• Ensure that the chair helps you sit upright.
• Do not sit still for long periods of time. Get up. Move around.

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I'll leave you guys with this...