{"id":1414,"date":"2022-03-06T18:27:40","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T22:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/?page_id=1414"},"modified":"2026-07-28T11:26:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T15:26:39","slug":"office-ergonomics","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/office-ergonomics\/","title":{"rendered":"Ergonomic Safety Guidance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This guidance promotes ergonomic best practices to reduce the risk of injuries and musculoskeletal disorders associated with workplace activities. Ergonomic hazards may exist in a variety of work environments, including office settings, laboratories, maintenance operations, material handling activities, and other areas where tasks require forceful exertion, repetitive motions, awkward postures, or prolonged static positions. EHS provides guidance, training, and resources to help university employees recognize ergonomic hazards, implement safe work practices, and reduce the risk of injury associated with workplace activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Common Ergonomic Risk Factors<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Employees should recognize and reduce exposure to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Awkward postures<\/strong> \u2013 bending, twisting, reaching, or working outside neutral body positions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Repetitive motions<\/strong> \u2013 performing the same movement continuously over extended periods<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Forceful exertion<\/strong> \u2013 pushing, pulling, lifting, or gripping with excessive force<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Prolonged static positions<\/strong> \u2013 remaining seated, standing, or holding a position for extended periods<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Poor workstation or task setup<\/strong> \u2013 using equipment, tools, or workspaces that does not support safe body positioning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Understanding common ergonomic risk factors is the first step toward preventing injuries. By recognizing how tasks, work environments, and individual work practices contribute to strain, employees can apply appropriate controls and safe work techniques to reduce risk. The following practices can help reduce risk of injuries and support safe work activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Safe Lifting and Material Handling<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Plan the lifting path before moving materials<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Assess the load before lifting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Use mechanical assistance when available<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Avoid lifting loads beyond their capabilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Maintain a stable stance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Keep loads close to the body<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Avoid excessive bending or twisting while lifting or carrying<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Use the legs and maintain a neutral spine when lifting or lowering materials<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Use proper team lifting techniques when needed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Proper Body Mechanics<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Maintain neutral spine alignment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Bend at the knees and hips rather than rounding the back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Avoid excessive reaching<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Position work materials within comfortable reach zones<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Adjust work height when possible<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Alternate tasks to reduce repetitive strain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Office and Computer Workstation Ergonomics<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Position monitors to support a neutral neck posture<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Adjust chairs to provide proper support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Position keyboards and pointing devices to maintain neutral wrist posture<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Reduce glare and improve lighting conditions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Take periodic movement breaks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Adjust workstation setups to individual needs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Employees should report workplace incidents, near misses, and safety concerns to EHS. If the incident resulted in a workplace injury or illness that must also be reported to Human Resources (HR) in accordance with university requirements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This guidance promotes ergonomic best practices to reduce the risk of injuries and musculoskeletal disorders associated with workplace activities. Ergonomic hazards may exist in a variety of work environments, including office settings, laboratories, maintenance operations, material handling activities, and other areas where tasks require forceful exertion, repetitive motions, awkward postures, or prolonged static positions. EHS&#8230;<span class=\"cpschool-read-more-link-holder\"><a class=\"btn btn-basic cpschool-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/office-ergonomics\/\">Read more <span class=\"sr-only\">Ergonomic Safety Guidance<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"folder":[],"class_list":["post-1414","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1414\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umes.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/folder?post=1414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}