Occupational Overuse Syndrome And Me

Occupational Health And Safety Report

Working in the office environment for three years, I had been experiencing the serious effect of Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS), as is exampled by a study in the UK which found that 75% of laptop users who used a laptop for four hours or more a day reported back pain. With the desire to have a thorough understanding, I have been motivated to have a research on this matter. OOS (also known as Repetitive Strain Injury) is simply a term used for a range of condition characterized by discomfort of pain in the muscles, tendons or other soft tissues (Harvey, S. 2002) p. 29). Symptoms of OOS could vary depending on the person, the site and severity of injury and the nature of the tasks undertaken. However, you should pay more attention to if you have several warning signs like pain, muscle weakness, swelling, numbness, restricted mobility of the joint or loss of function as you are likely in the early stage of OSS. Changes to workplace design and practices can alleviate or prevent the condition. In workplace, OOS covers numerous tasks that involve repetitive or forceful movement and/ or maintenance of constrained or awkward postures.

OHS hazards could be recognized as poor work organization and workstation layout, badly designed computer hardware/ software and badly designed office furniture. Identifying the hazards, the best way to control the risks is to follow the safety procedures which might be to minimize repetitive tasks, take regular rest and stretch breaks or to maintain correct postures and vary them often and so on. Depending on your specific job nature, you could take different actions to better manage the symptoms. (Source: http://www. mydr. com. au/pain/office-ergonomics-workstation-comfort-and-safety)

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For the office workers, few people know that their job is ranked as the high-risk job. An Australian study conducted by Comcare, for example, surveyed 2,000 ACT government workers with alarming results. Of the 1,000 who participated, eight out of 10 respondents who had not claimed workers’ compensation had OOS symptoms and two out of 10 had severe symptoms, meaning, in other words, that they were in constant pain. For my specific case, dealing much with the paper work required me to spend lots of time keying in data, having the fixed posture and focusing my eyes at the same distance point for extended period of time.

At the early time, I had no idea about the possible hazards and felt so comfortable with my work. However, my colleagues who had experienced the serious effects warned me about the injuries which result from inappropriate computer use. They could be posture-related injuries, overuse injuries of the upper limbs or eyestrain. As the result, several ways were suggested for the workstation comfort and safety. I found that the most efficient tips for the matter is that you should have a good posture (as illustrated in the below picture), your furniture should be adjustable and strict time limits break should be applied.

To sum up, OOS could happen in all workplace, for all kind of occupations. Therefore, the safety procedures should always be followed and all the risks that can arise should be considered as the safer the workplace is, the more productive the work is.

Bibliography

1. Occupational Overuse Syndrome, viewed 23 May 2012, <http://jobaccess. gov. au/Advice/Disability/pages/Occupational_Overuse_Synd. aspx>
2. Ergonomics Australia, The continuing problem of OOS in the office, viewed 23 May 2012, <http://ergonomics. uq. edu. u/eaol/phillips. pdf>
3. Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS), viewed 29 May 2012, <http://www. education. vic. gov. au/safe@work/modules/office/overuse. asp>
4. Office ergonomics: workstation comfort and safety, viewed 30 May 2012, <http://www. mydr. com. au/pain/office-ergonomics-workstation-comfort-and-safety>
5. Workplace safety – overuse injuries, viewed 29 May 2012, <http://www. betterhealth. vic. gov. au/bhcv2/bhcarticles. nsf/pages/Workplace_safety_overuse_injuries>
6. Dan Kaufman, The Hidden Plague.

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