Office Work Shouldn't Hurt

Work Shouldn't Hurt

We all suffer occasional pain and discomfort at work, but work shouldn’t hurt.
After attending to workers’ pain and discomfort, take action to control MSD hazards.
Talk with your supervisor, manager or boss if you have pain at work.
Use this diagram to help map pain and discomfort patterns in your workplace.

What to do if workers have pain?

Workers should talk with their supervisor, manager or business owner about their pain at work and possible causes.
Attend to worker's pain and discomfort.
Pain that doesn’t disappear before the start of work on the next day or continues over a weekend is a signal to speak up immediately.
Use the discomfort diagrams with individuals or groups of workers to pinpoint areas in the body of concern.

Did you know?

We all suffer occasional pain and discomfort, but work shouldn’t hurt.
MSD hazards can lead to fatigue, discomfort, pain and even disability in muscle, tendons nerves and ligaments. These hazards can also make previous MSD problems worse.
A job that overloads the body and doesn’t allow it to recover and adapt, leads to discomfort, pain and disability after weeks, months or years.
We all have different bodies. We shouldn’t be surprised that some people develop pain and discomfort in a job with MSD hazards while another person may not.

John's sore neck was getting worse...

John talked with his boss and realized that he was leaning forward in his chair with his head tilted backwards – a “pigeon neck” posture. The Quick Start Guide helped them understand the underlying problems: his monitor was too far away and his bifocals were an old prescription. After readjusting the screen and getting new glasses, John’s neck soon felt better.

IMPROVE WORK

Ask yourself and others, “Why do people feel fatigued or sore when doing office work?” and keep asking “why” until you get a good answer!
Once the underlying cause of the problem has been identified, employees and managers working together can control hazards and improve work best.
Use these ideas for any office work, whether in an office building, home office, automobile or in the field.