Maintaining neutral posture can go a long way in preventing injuries before they happen at work. Over the past couple of years many employees have shifted in how and where they work. Some are working more from home. Some are returning to a workplace after a long hiatus. Whether your employees are adapting to new workplace arrangements or haven’t seen much change at all, it’s a good time for a refresher on how to set up workstations ergonomically to prevent pain and strain.

How to maintain a neutral posture while sitting at work

No matter whether you’re working from a standing or seated position, the goal is to achieve a neutral body position.

Follow these six ergonomic tips for maintaining proper posture:

• Keep your feet resting comfortably on the floor or on a footrest.
• Your thighs should be fully supported by the chair seat, with your hips at a 90 to 110 degree angle.
• The backrest of your chair should support the natural curve of the back.
• Your upper arms should be resting comfortably at your side, with elbows at a 90 to 100 degree angle.
• Your head should be centered over your neck and shoulders.
• Don’t lean forward in your chair to avoid putting strain on the neck and back.

How to maintain a neutral posture while standing

Increasing numbers of desk workers are turning to sit-stand workstations, or standing desks.

Follow these seven tips to maintain an ergonomic posture while working at a standing desk:

• Feet should be resting comfortably on an even surface.
• Wear shoes with insoles.
• Stand on an anti-fatigue mat with beveled edges that sits flat on the floor.
• Keep your knees unlocked.
• Your upper arms should rest comfortably at your side, with elbows at a 90-100 degree angle.
• Wrists should be held straight, not pressing into the edge of a counter or table.
• Your head should be centered over your neck and shoulders.

Add movement: The 20-8-2 rule

Even after your workstation setup is optimized for your comfort, you shouldn’t sit there all day. If your job is predominantly sedentary, try to build in at least two hours of movement throughout the day.

The 20-8-2 rule offers a quick rule of thumb to remind you to change positions and get up and move. This “ideal work pattern” was pioneered by Dr. Alan Hedge, a professor of ergonomics at Cornell University.

For every half-hour of work:

• Sit for 20
• Stand for 8
• Stretch or move for 2

The frequency of position changes may be more important than the length of the break. Changing positions often will help you maintain focus and energy throughout your workday.

Workplace ergonomics tools that can help

There are a number of products available that you can purchase to help you and your employees work with a neutral posture. Many are inexpensive.

These include:

• Headsets
  Cradling a phone between your shoulder and neck can cause strain. If you need your hands free while using the phone, try using a headset instead.
• Mouse bridges / keyboard cushions
  Keyboards should be set flat, and your wrists should be raised and level, resting on a cushion. Avoid placing your wrists on the edge of the table or desk. This also applies when using a mouse. Your keyboard and your mouse should both be in easy reach.
• Adjustable monitor stands
  Use adjustable monitor stands to keep the screen of your monitor at eye level, or slightly below eye level for those who use bifocals. They are usually inexpensive and easy to use. Center the monitor in front of your keyboard.
• Document holders
  Instead of looking at a piece of paper lying flat on the table, use a document holder to keep the page in line with your computer, keeping everything at eye level. This will prevent excessively bending your neck, and it’s easier to read.
• Risers
  A riser is a wedge-shaped product that can be placed on the floor under the desk. If the height adjustment on your chair leaves your feet unable to touch the ground, use a riser to give yourself a footrest. They are adjustable and inexpensive, and they take the weight off your upper thighs and reduce pressure from the chair edge.
• Adjustable chairs
  Making sure your chair is the right size is one of the easiest ways to improve comfort. Make sure the height, seat, arms and recline are all adjustable. If the table or counter you work at isn’t adjustable, be sure to set the height of your chair so that your arms rest comfortably at your sides and don’t press into the edge of the table or counter. Adjust your chair so that you maintain neutral positions.
• Sit-stand workstations
  Sit-stand workstations can help keep you from sitting all day long, but it’s important to shift between sitting and standing. Switching to standing all day won’t prevent strains and pains — it just moves them to different areas. Going back and forth between the two throughout the day is the best way to utilize sit-stand workstations. When choosing a sit-stand workstation, ensure the desk goes low enough to reach your ideal height when seated, which is the measurement from your elbows to the floor when sitting with feet flat to the floor and shoulders relaxed.

Alternative workstations and laptop ergonomics

Using a laptop or mobile device can make it harder to achieve a neutral posture, so here are some additional tips for laptop and tablet ergonomics. If you’re have a treadmill desk or standing desk, consider the risks and benefits of alternative workstations.

Download and print a PDF of these workplace ergonomics tips and keep them handy so you remember how to maintain a neutral posture and keep active at work.

As a workers’ compensation insurer serving 250 school districts, we’ve learned a lot about school employee injuries and how to prevent them.

Common injuries among school employees

According to SFM claim data, here are a few school employee injury statistics:

• 40% of workers’ compensation claims among school employees involve students
• The most common student-related injuries are due to students acting out (64% of injuries related to student interaction)
• The most common causes of injuries to school employees are due to being struck (34%), slips/trips/falls (27%) or strains (23%)
• The most common injuries to school employees are fractures/contusions (59%), sprains/strains (23%), and punctures/lacerations (11%)

For more statistics, see our fact sheet on occupational injuries in schools.

Ways to avoid work injuries among school employees

There are a number of things school districts can do to prevent common employee injuries including:

• Encourage staff to “Facilitate, don’t participate“
  Participating in physical activities puts teachers, paraprofessionals and coaches at risk for serious injuries. Instruct staff to focus on demonstrating and teaching skills versus actively participating in play. Remind them that they are responsible for their own safety. Download our Facilitate, don’t participate 3-Minute Solution for more details. 
• Promote a hands-off approach to dealing with students who are acting out
  For more details, download our de-escalation team training talks for schools and alternative intervention and de-escalation tactics training talk.
• Prevent winter slips and falls
  Snow- and ice-related slips and falls are a leading cause of school employee injuries. Remind your employees about the increased risk of slips and falls in winter, and how to prevent them with an educational campaign throughout the season. SFM offers a number of free winter slip-and-fall prevention resources.
• Provide supervisor initiated training
  SFM offers free downloadable safety training talks for schools, broken down by job category (such as buildings and grounds, food service, etc.). These talks are simple and quick to present, and help keep the staff focused on safety.
• Tell staff to get up and move
  Employees who stay in a static position all day long put themselves at greater risk for strain and sprain injuries. Encourage them to take short breaks throughout the day to move around. They can use this warm up and stretching poster for ideas of movements that will help them avoid strains.
• Get fit and exercise
  Employees who work with their arms in front of them all day, such as food service workers, are at risk for shoulder injuries. SFM developed a program called Get Fit and Exercise, which focuses on shoulder strengthening to prevent injuries. Anyone can benefit from the program, but it’s especially good for building and grounds crews and food service staff.

In a typical year, falls in snowy or icy conditions account for more than 20,000 workplace injuries. As we all know, 2020 was anything but a typical year. Less foot traffic last winter meant fewer slips and falls, but in the coming months experts predict that slip-and-fall incidents will be on the rise once again.

“With employees returning to their routines of entering and exiting the workplace every day, we’re expecting to see a resurgence in winter slips and falls,” said SFM Loss Prevention Technical Leader Lee Wendel. “These incidents can cause some of the most severe injuries we see, and they’re largely avoidable.”

Winter slips and falls are among the most common causes of workplace injuries. These incidents put employees at risk for serious injuries like concussions, broken bones and herniated discs. As an employer, there’s a great deal you can do to prevent these injuries at your workplace.

Parking lots pose greatest hazard

Winter slips and falls are most common in parking lots.

“Many employees aren’t thinking about the risks when they’re moving between their car and the building,” Wendel said. “Alerting workers to the dangers of slippery surfaces goes a long way to prevent serious injuries.”

Employees are especially at risk of injuries when:

• Getting into or out of their vehicles
• Stepping onto or off of curbs
• Carrying too much in their arms

Encourage employees to use the “step down, not out” method when stepping out of their cars and off of curbs. For cars, swing both legs out to the side, step down flat footed with both feet, and maintain three points of contact with either the car or the ground while getting up. For curbs, step down flat footed, not heel first.

You can order or download winter slip-and fall resources including “step down, not out” and “carry only what you can” posters from the resource catalog.

Free resources to build awareness

SFM provides many resources to keep your employees aware of winter slip-and-fall risks throughout the season including posters, handouts, safety talk outlines and videos.

“As conditions change during the season, it’s important to keep reminding employees of the risks of winter slips and falls, and how to avoid them,” Wendel said.

You can find links to these resources and more information at sfmic.com/penguin.

SFM’s loss prevention representatives can put away their protractors.

They’re now measuring ergonomics with help from an artificial intelligence-powered app that can deliver assessment results in minutes.

The technology can most benefit employers with job tasks that involve material handling or repetition — the types of tasks that can lead to serious musculoskeletal disorders if done improperly.

Using the tool, loss prevention representatives can quickly identify any high-risk body positions during the course of a job task.

“It’s an exciting advancement in our ability to efficiently evaluate workplace ergonomics,” said SFM Loss Prevention Technical Leader Lee Wendel. “Policyholders appreciate that we can identify risks and recommend ways to make the work safer all within one day.”

How it works

To use the tool, loss prevention representatives simply take a short video of an employee working, and upload it.

That’s when the AI kicks in to evaluate the risk level of the worker’s body position using longtime, proven tools such as the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA).

It then returns back the video with the worker’s skeletal position highlighted in red, yellow or green, based on risk.

The technology was designed with privacy in mind — employee faces can be blacked out and backgrounds blurred.

The software can do in minutes, what would have taken a safety professional hours to do by hand.

Once the results are back, the loss prevention representative can report the areas of concern to the policyholder and suggest ways to make the job safer. Sometimes simple adjustments to the workstation can solve the issues, and sometimes bigger changes, such as automation, are recommended.

Preventing injuries before they start

For certain employers, the AI tool will be a big help in taking injury prevention efforts to the next level.

“We’re excited that this technology will help prevent more employees from ever having to experience the pain of a musculoskeletal injury,” Wendel said. “We’ll be continuing to keep an eye out for more ways technology can help us better serve our customers in the future.”

From home office ergonomics to cell phone use to infectious diseases, our most popular blog posts for employers cover a wide range of topics.

You’re sure to find some helpful tips among our most popular safety, claims and wellness blog posts of all time:

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Learn how your experience modification factor impacts your premium, and what you can do to manage it.

6. What are employer liability limits?

Find out about employer liability insurance – a rarely used coverage that is included with your workers’ compensation policy.

5. Creating a policy for employee cell phone use while driving

If you have employees who drive for work, our sample policy and safety training advice can help.

4. Ergonomic and safety tips when working from home

Follow these tips to avoid pain and strain while working from home.

3. Expert tips and best practices to make your safety committee thrive

Read our best practices for safety committees.

2. What employers need to know about concussions

Get tips on preventing concussions and accommodating an employee who is recovering from one.

1. Top seven safety tips for office workers

Office work may be less hazardous than other roles, but there are still important safety tips to be aware of.

The use of electronic devices has become almost inevitable in our daily lives. For the majority of employees working in corporate settings, nearly the entire workday is spent looking at computer screens. Could this amount of screen time be detrimental to our health? Researchers say it’s possible.

What are the effects of blue light exposure?

Back-lit digital devices like computers, tablets and smart phones all emit blue light, a high-energy, short wavelength visible to the human eye. Emerging research shows that blue light does have physical effects on the body, though few of them are positive.

Relatively short exposure to blue light can temporarily stimulate the brain and improve mood. Prolonged exposure, however, is likely to damage retinal cells over time and may contribute to the development of:

• Eye strain
• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
• Cataracts
• Nearsightedness
• Sleep disruption
• Mood disorders

Findings from a recent Harvard University study name High Energy Visible blue light, the type of light emitted by most digital devices, as the most dangerous light to the human eye. As the world becomes increasingly digitized, blue light exposure will likely remain an ongoing threat.

How can employees protect themselves from blue light exposure?

Fortunately, there are several ways to reduce digital eye strain and ultimately protect against long-term damage.

Research shows that staring at a screen for an extended period of time reduces blink rate, which often leads to dry, tired eyes. According to The Vision Council, employees in office settings can prevent this by using a strategy they call, “the 20-20-20 rule.” Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at something 20 feet away.

It’s a natural tendency to lean forward when looking at computer screens. Try to be mindful of the habit and do your best to straighten your posture. The ideal sitting position keeps eyes a full arm’s length from the screen.

Some have also found relief by using blue light glasses. With lenses designed to shield your eyes from harmful rays, these glasses may reduce eyestrain and brain stimulation, ultimately leading to improved sleep quality.

Experts also suggest reducing screen brightness as much as possible. Darkening the screen lowers the intensity of light taken in by your eyes. If the brightness can’t be adjusted, consider purchasing a tinted film to apply to the screen itself. Additionally, if you’re working with a device that features multiple light modes, the preset “night mode” produces significantly less blue light than others, making it the safest option for your eyes.

You probably already know that you must report all workplace injuries to your workers’ compensation insurer. But in some cases you must also report the injury to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) .

Injuries that must be reported directly to OSHA

You must report the following types of injuries directly to OSHA:

• Work-related fatalities occurring within 30 days of the incident must be reported to OSHA within eight hours
• Work-related inpatient hospitalizations, amputations and losses of an eye occurring within 24 hours of the incident must be reported to OSHA within 24 hours. You can read more information about the definition of an amputation and loss of an eye in this OSHA Interpretation Letter and on the OSHA Reporting webpage in the FAQs .

In addition, Minnesota employers must contact Minnesota OSHA for a report of injury to an employee operating a mechanical power press . The form can be printed and faxed or mailed to the Minnesota Department of Labor.

How to report injuries to OSHA

Here’s state-specific contact information to report a fatality or severe injury to OSHA:

• Minnesota: Call (877) 470-6742 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. To report an incident after business hours, call the federal office at (800) 321-OSHA (6742)
• Iowa: Call (877) 242-6742 or fill out the Incident Report Form and fax it to (515) 281-7995 or email osha@iwd.iowa.gov.
• Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska: Call the Federal OSHA office at (800) 321-OSHA (6742) or the closest area office if it is during business hours. You can also report online .

Some employers required to keep injury logs

OSHA also requires that certain types of businesses maintain injury logs . All employers in the state of Minnesota with 11 or more full- or part-time employees, regardless of industry or NAICS code, must maintain a log.

Requirements to maintain a log in other states depend on the industry. Low-hazard industries are excluded and you can view the list on the OSHA recordkeeping webpage  (under “FAQs on who must keep records”).

When recording injuries on the OSHA 300 log, there are a few key differences between reporting work injuries to your insurer and OSHA to keep in mind:

• Injuries should be reported to your insurer immediately regardless of seriousness, but for OSHA, only fatalities and the severe injuries listed above must be reported right away.
• You should report all injuries to your insurer, even those that don’t require medical attention; however, not all injuries reported to your insurer will meet the definition of an OSHA recordable injury or illness. All OSHA recordable injuries must be recorded on the log within seven calendar days of occurrence. View the OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Requirements  for more information on how OSHA defines a recordable injury or illness and first aid.
• State workers’ compensation regulations have a waiting period to determine when a claim becomes lost time, but OSHA does not have a waiting period. OSHA counts calendar days beginning the day after the incident occurs for Days Away from Work cases and Restricted Work or Transfer cases.
• OSHA’s Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses , detailing injuries from the previous year, must be posted annually from February 1 to April 30 in a place where employees can see it, even if there were no recordable work-related injuries or illnesses during the year.
• You may also be required to submit the Form 300A to OSHA electronically. See our blog post on OSHA’s electronic reporting requirements for employers for more information.

While reporting to your insurer and OSHA are typically two separate things, there is one area where they overlap. The First Report of Injury form generated when you file a workers’ compensation claim can serve as a substitute for the OSHA 301  form in some states, including Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Where to find more information on OSHA recordkeeping

Recordkeeping can be confusing at times, especially with the differences between OSHA and workers’ compensation. The OSHA website on recordkeeping and reporting requirements is a good resource. If you’re an SFM policyholder, your SFM loss prevention representative can also help answer any questions about recordkeeping.

This is not intended to serve as legal advice for individual fact-specific legal cases or as a legal basis for your employment practices.

If your work duties include snow removal, you know that icy conditions can lead to slip-and-fall injuries.

You do your best to keep the sidewalks and parking lots free of ice and snow. You care about preventing injuries for everyone who visits your building.

It’s just as important to be mindful about preventing injuries that can happen during snow removal.

Follow these four tips to reduce the risk of injuries while shoveling snow, so you can get back inside safely.

Four tips for safe snow removal

1. Start by being physically ready

Before getting ready to shovel snow, our bodies need to be ready to handle the job safely to avoid injury or significant discomfort. The risks that go along with shoveling include “a potential for exhaustion, dehydration, back injuries, or heart attacks,” according to OSHA .

Before and during shoveling, remember to:

• Drink plenty of water for hydration
• Warm up: Stretch your arms, shoulders, back and legs
• Understand your physical limitations and do not push beyond them

If you have any underlying health conditions that might make shoveling risky for you, strongly consider asking for help or seek other alternatives.

2. Prevent slips and falls due to ice

Check for icy spots first and take care of them immediately. Be aware that other icy spots may be hidden by snow.

Wear boots and/or traction footwear to significantly reduce the chances of slips and falls. Vendors like Due North offer traction footwear products.

3. Use proper shoveling techniques

Good technique will reduce the chance for injury when shoveling, especially to your back and shoulders. It’s also a way to reduce the chance of slipping and falling.

Be sure to:

• Push the shovel with your strong leg muscles, not your arms and shoulders.
• Try to push the snow instead of lifting it.
• If you must lift the snow, lift the shovel just like you lift anything else – keep your knees bent, feet wide and head up. Work to maintain the neutral curve in your lower back.
• Keep one foot ahead of the other. This will give you more power and produce far less strain on your lower back.
• Keep your arms as close to your body as pos­sible for power, stability and to reduce strain.
• Avoid twisting your upper body. Keep your feet in alignment with your torso.

4. Take it slow in the snow

Work at a safe pace to help avoid injury. Working too fast may cause you to slip and fall more often or tire quickly. And when you’re tired, you may forget to use proper techniques, which could cause discomfort or pain.

Take short breaks when shoveling and don’t over-exert yourself or allow yourself to overheat.

Combined, following these four tips for safer snow shoveling can reduce the risk of slips, falls and other injuries this winter.

More winter safety resources

For more helpful winter safety tips, see SFM’s other resources:

• Winter slips and falls resources page
• Snow removal safety tips 5-minute Solutions
• Snow blower safety tips 5-minute Solutions

A quarter of winter slip-and-fall injuries reported to SFM occur in parking lots. These injuries are often severe and affect all kinds of businesses.

Encourage your employees to use the “Step down, not out” method to avoid falls while getting out of their vehicles and stepping off curbs. Step down with both feet when getting out of a vehicle and step flat footed from a curb to reduce your chance of slipping.

Watch the video for a demonstration of this simple but effective method for avoiding winter falls.

How to step down, not out of a vehicle

1. Swing both legs out to the side.
2. Place both feet, flat footed, on the ground.
3. Grab onto the door frame or steering wheel to help support yourself to a standing position.
4. Use at least three points of contact—two feet and one hand—a practice used by professional drivers.

Walking safely off a curb

1. Shorten your steps. Do not step too far out.
2. Step flat footed off the curb. This minimizes your forward momentum. It also helps ensure your leading foot doesn’t land heel-first and result in a slip.

Download this penguin poster to spread the word at your workplace.

Since COVID-19, cleaning and disinfecting have become a larger part of many employees’ days.

As a result, many employees have a higher exposure to chemicals on the job than they did in the past.

Some who rarely or never used chemicals as a part of their daily work before, like teachers, may find themselves using them multiple times a day. And those who have used chemicals in the past, like janitorial staff, may now be using new, stronger chemicals with different safety considerations.

Use these chemical safety tips to keep these employees safe by providing them with training and personal protective equipment tailored to the specific chemicals that they’re using.

Chemical safety basics

Conversations on chemical safety often start by discussing common ways chemicals can get into the body, such as ingestion, absorption (skin or eye contact), inhalation (breathing in) and injection.

This explains why proper personal protective equipment, like gloves and masks, is so important. They offer protection from chemicals that can cause skin and lung irritation.

For example, employees who are spraying powerful disinfectants may need to wear masks so they don’t inhale the chemicals, and cover their skin to prevent irritation.

Every chemical is different, and even chemicals that are used for the same purpose can pose different safety hazards. You can find information on the hazards posed by any particular chemical by reviewing its chemical Safety Data Sheet (SDS), which is provided by the manufacturer.

Knowing the pH level of a chemical, and its impact on safety can also help. Weak acids and bases/caustics can dry out and irritate skin, whereas strong acids and bases/caustics can cause severe, corrosive chemical burns.

Knowing how to read the hazard communication pictograms on the labels, and training your staff on this is also important.

Training your employees

Training employees to safely use any chemicals they may be exposed to in the course of work is not only the right thing to do, it’s required.

All states require chemical safety training before use, and some states have additional requirements beyond that. Check the Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines in your state.

When you train your employees in chemical safety, be sure to cover the following points:

• Which chemicals are used in their work areas
• The primary routes by which chemicals can enter the body: inhalation, ingestion, absorption and injection
• How to understand the labels on chemical containers, including the nine internationally recognized pictograms
• Where to find chemical Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) in the workplace, and how to understand them (including a review of the information contained on the SDSs of any chemicals they will be working with)
• Location of emergency eyewashes, first aid kits, etc.
• How to properly store hazardous chemicals
• Required personal protective equipment and how to properly use and wear it
• How to dispose of chemical waste properly
• Don’t eat, drink or smoke while using chemicals, as these put you at risk of ingestion injuries
• Don’t mix chemicals if you’re unsure how they will react
• Clean up spills promptly

For more information on chemical safety see our Employee Right-to-know and Chemical Safety – Understanding Chemical pH 5-Minute Solutions safety talks, available on sfmic.com.