Ever notice how working on your laptop from the comfort of your own couch often leads to discomfort in your neck?

Mobile devices like laptops, tablets and cell phones allow you to work anytime, anywhere. But this can make it harder for you to be sure you’re doing it safely.

These devices all pose ergonomic challenges, but there are ways to minimize the risk.

The ergonomic problems with laptops

The ergonomic challenge laptops present is simple. Because the keyboard and monitor are attached, either the keyboard is too high to properly position your wrists and arms, or the monitor is too low to look straight ahead as you work. So, if you use your laptop computer in your lap, as the name suggests, neck pain will likely follow.

How to use a laptop on a desk at home

If you’re working on your laptop at a desk in your home office, you can use either a docking station, or an external keyboard and mouse with a riser to work comfortably. A docking station connects your closed laptop to an external keyboard, mouse and monitor. Risers lift the laptop monitor up to eye level, and the external keyboard can be positioned so your arms and wrists are in a neutral position. A riser can simply be a few books to set the laptop on, or any other means of raising the level of the monitor.  It is best to have the remote keyboard and mouse at the same level, to ensure proper posture with both wrists.

What to look for to achieve a neutral position:

• Eyes looking straight ahead at the monitor, not up or down
• Upper arms resting comfortably at your sides
• Elbows bent at a 90- to 100-degree angle
• Wrists are straight and flat when using your keyboard and mouse, not flexed, or deviated sideways, up or down.

If multiple people are using the same workspace, you may need to get an adjustable riser.

How to comfortably use a laptop on the go

Unless you carry a riser and external keyboard around with you, it’s not likely that you’ll be able to create an ergonomic setup at a coffee shop, library or inside your car. Minimize the amount of time you spend working on your laptop in these environments. If you need to move around while entering information into your laptop for some reason, such as doing inventory, use a cradle that goes over the shoulders.

It is important also to reduce any glare that may be coming from nearby windows or if working outdoors in the sun.  This glare can make it difficult to view the screen and, over time, could result in headaches.

Choosing an ergonomic laptop bag

When you’re choosing a laptop bag, remember, two straps are better than one — making a backpack a good choice — and carrying the bag over your shoulder is better than carrying it in your hands. People tend to carry things in their hands at the end of their fingertips, which pulls on their tendons.

Make sure not to overextend your reach when moving the bag in and out of your car.

Avoiding ‘tablet neck’

Reading on a tablet computer isn’t ergonomically worse than reading a book. Anytime you’re holding your head forward for a prolonged period of time, it’s going to cause neck discomfort. So what’s the issue with tablets?

“It’s not apples to apples because these machines can keep you a lot more captivated than a book can,” said SFM Loss Prevention Representative Jason Clausen. “You’re on it all the time.”

And while tablet computers weren’t really built for doing a lot of data entry, they’re being used more and more for productivity.

If you find yourself using your tablet more like a laptop, use an external keyboard and follow the guidelines above to properly set up your workstation. Also, consider using dictation software to minimize typing on the device.

In other cases when you’re using a tablet for an extended period of time, take short breaks to stand up and stretch your neck and arms. For more on stretching, see our page on preventing strains and sprains.

Tips for any mobile device

In today’s society, it’s not realistic to think you will never work with your computer on your lap or your head bent over your tablet, but it’s important to limit the amount of time spent working in these less-than-ideal positions and take regular micro breaks while doing it.

“If you give yourself short, periodic recovery periods, you can really reduce the chance for musculoskeletal disorders,” Clausen said. “Ergonomic risk factors are largely a function of repetition, force and duration.”

More resources:

• Office ergonomics 5-minute Solutions
• Ergonomics—Working in a static position 5-minute Solutions
• Ergonomic workstation education handout

By Stacie Goodrich, M.A., OTR/L, CDMS, QRC

Whether you work from home occasionally or exclusively, it’s worth taking a little time to set up your space in a way that allows you to be safe working from home and have a comfortable work set-up.

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

Set up desk space to support neutral posture

Do your best to find a chair that supports your back, and positions you with at least a 90-degree angle at your hips. If available, use a table or desk surface that allows you to maintain a 90-degree angle at your elbows. Refer to our Ergonomic Workstation Education handout for the ideal positioning.

Ergonomic recommendations for laptops

The ergonomic challenge with laptops is that because the screen and keyboard are attached, using a laptop for a long time requires you to make a tradeoff between using a neutral head/neck posture and hand/wrist posture. Using a separate keyboard, mouse and monitor can help combat this.

Follow these recommendations when using a laptop to avoid pain and strain:

• Find a comfortable chair that supports your back
• Monitor your hand/wrist posture and height (see the Ergonomic Workstation Education handout for proper positioning)
• Angle the laptop screen allowing for optimal viewing with your neck in as neutral alignment as possible
• Use a separate keyboard, mouse and monitor, if available
• Plan for frequent positional changes and postural breaks to allow for muscle recovery

Avoid neck strain when using your phone

If you use your phone often when working from home, use a headset or the speaker phone option to prevent neck strain. Avoid cradling a handset or mobile phone between your shoulder and head.

Take breaks often to move and stretch

Take frequent breaks to change up your posture and stretch throughout the workday. This is key to working comfortably for long periods of time.

Check out the videos on our Get Up & Move page to learn simple stretches that you can do during quick breaks throughout the workday.

Incorporate exercise throughout your workday by taking a few 10-minute walks. Remember that exercise is cumulative, so three 10-minute walks are just as beneficial as one 30-minute walk.

Check your home office environment for hazards

When working in an office, you likely have others examining the space for safety hazards, but when working from home, that is most likely up to you.

Check your surrounding environment for safety hazards:

• Ensure the area surrounding your home workspace is free from clutter and tripping hazards
• Evaluate your workspace for adequate lighting and position screens/monitors to minimize glare
• Ensure your environment is free of excessive noise and private enough for you to work securely

Working from home should not be any less safe or comfortable than being in an office environment. Thinking through these considerations can help you stay free of pains and strains after a day at the home office.

Reports of the hazards of a sedentary lifestyle seem to be everywhere, and some workers are refusing to take the news sitting down.

Now that the traditional “desk and chair” workstation has been cast as the office villain, a variety of alternatives have emerged. In some workplaces, traditional seated workstations are giving way to configurations in which the user stands or moves while working. Standing desks or sit/stand workstations are becoming an increasingly common option, and some have taken it even further by combining desks with exercise devices like treadmills or balance balls.

As employers consider adopting these devices, questions about safety are emerging.

Is the employer liable if someone gets hurt while using an alternative workstation?

If a worker becomes injured while using an exercise device, the question of liability traditionally hinges on the notion of “voluntary use.” If an exercise device is sponsored by the employer as part of a voluntary recreational program, then liability for an injury that occurs while using it would typically rest with the worker. The liability can shift to the employer in cases where the alternative workstation is a job requirement or is put in place as part of an approved medical treatment plan for the employee.

In general, the best approach is to leave the decision to use an alternative workstation to the discretion of the employee. For a definitive recommendation regarding any issues of liability, it’s always best to consult an attorney who specializes in employment law in your state.

Are alternative workstations such as standing desks safe?

When used correctly, these devices can certainly be a component of a safe workplace. It’s important to make sure the equipment is installed properly so it doesn’t place the user in a position that could lead to injury or stress. As with traditional desks and chairs, any new workstations should undergo an on-site ergonomic evaluation and be monitored for continued safety.

In addition to recommending general ergonomic precautions, safety experts have identified some specific risks:

• Standing workstations: Standing is more tiring than sitting, and standing all day comes with its own health risks. Prolonged standing places a greater strain on the circulatory system, as well as on the legs and feet.
• Treadmill desks: Proper positioning of the treadmill is an important consideration. An improperly placed device can launch a worker who stops walking into a wall or other impediment.
• Balance balls: While a certain amount of instability is inherent to a balance ball, too much instability presents a risk of falling. Factors to consider are whether the ball is inflated properly, and whether the device is surrounded by a frame.

Are they effective?

Standing desks and alternative workstations can definitely be helpful if used as part of an overall campaign to encourage workers to move. The key to counteracting the perils of working in the same position all day is to build frequent variety of movement into the daily routine.

Alternative workstations can help, but they shouldn’t be viewed as the sole remedy. Without continued encouragement from the employer to stay active, workers often fall back into their low-motion routines. By itself, no device constitutes a simple way to reverse the negative effects of sitting still at a desk all day. Building movement into the day should be the goal.

SFM offers a variety of videos, covering topics such as safety, return-to-work and the claims process. All videos are available on our YouTube channel .

The following are 10 of our most popular videos:

• The Safety Adventures of Skip: Preventing winter slips and falls
  Skip, the workplace safety superhero, intervenes to prevent a slip-and-fall injury in a snowy office parking lot.

• The Safety Adventures of Skip: Avoiding slips and falls in kitchen environments
  Skip demonstrates the best ways to prevent slips and falls while working in a kitchen.

• Avoid winter slips and falls: Icy parking lot safety
  Watch as two SFM Sports broadcasters discuss winter safety highlights and show you the best ways to avoid slips and falls while walking through snowy, icy parking lots.

• How to walk like a penguin
  Learn how to walk like a penguin and avoid slips and falls caused by snow and ice.

• Avoid winter falls: Walk like a penguin
  Watch some real penguins demonstrate the best way to walk in winter to avoid injury.

• The Safety Adventures of Skip: Preventing back injuries while lifting
  Skip gives tips on how to properly lift heavy boxes to avoid back injuries.

• Get up and Move
  In this music video, learn how to avoid pain, strains and injuries by taking breaks throughout the day to get up and move.

• Coming soon to a parking lot near you: Danger of winter slips and falls
  This horror movie trailer demonstrates the danger of slip-and-fall injuries in snowy parking lots.

• Avoid a fall: Step down. Not out … from the curb
  Learn how to step down, not out off a curb to avoid slipping and falling.

• Avoid a fall: Step down. Not out … from your car
  Learn a technique for preventing a fall while getting out of your car. 

Workers in manufacturing are exposed to a variety of dangers in the workplace. The National Safety Council rated manufacturing as the industry with the third highest occurrence of injuries resulting in days away from work. Although manufacturing can be a fast-paced environment, it’s important to slow down and focus on worker safety.

Top ten hazards

In 2018, these were the most common manufacturing safety violations cited by OSHA:

1. Machine guarding
2. Lockout/tagout
3. Hazard communication
4. Respiratory protection
5. Electrical requirements
6. Powered industrial trucks
7. Personal protective equipment
8. Occupational noise exposure
9. Walking and working surfaces
10. Process safety management

Focus on safety

Creating a culture of safety is one of the key ways to prevent injuries.

All leaders and supervisors in the company should prioritize safety. They are the ones who set the example for all other employees and can teach workers to avoid risks and utilize best practices.

Be sure to establish some safety best practices. Set up procedures and safety measures for all employees to follow and be sure to enforce them. Reinforce your expectations by continually communicating them to your workers. Implement safety training sessions for all new employees and continue to follow up with additional sessions periodically.

Safety guidelines for your employees include:

• Follow proper procedures when using machines and tools
  Pay attention to manufacturer’s recommendations for operating any equipment. All machinery should have proper guarding.

• Wear the appropriate personal protective equipment
  Make sure all PPE is in good condition and suited to the job being done.

• Avoid slips, trips and falls
  Be aware of potential hazards that could cause a fall, such as uneven walking surfaces, unsafe use of ladders, obstacles in walkways and more.

• Use proper lifting procedures
  Use mechanical lifting equipment whenever possible. If manual lifting can’t be avoided, remember to lift from a position of power by keeping the head up, keeping the load close, using a staggered stance and remember “nose follows toes” to avoid twisting.

• Report any unsafe working conditions
  Inform supervisors of any hazards, including but not limited to malfunctioning machinery, tripping hazards and damaged tools.

Recommended resources

SFM has a variety of manufacturing safety resources available. Some key pieces include:

• Machine guarding 5-Minute Solution
• Lockout/tagout 5-Minute Solution
• Job hazard recognition Supervisor Initiated Training
• Respirators 5-Minute Solution
• Forklift safety 5-Minute Solution
• Warehouse safety Supervisor Initiated Training
• Report unsafe conditions Supervisor Initiated Training
• Personal protective equipment CompTalk
• Supervisor strategies for reducing lifting hazards
• Use Safe Moves when lifting handout
• Slips, trips and falls: An employers guide for preventing injuries

All these and additional safety resources can be found in our resource catalog.

Falling down the stairs can lead to serious injuries such as fractures and sprains. Many such injuries can be avoided by simply using handrails.

Defend yourself from falls on stairways

Some people think you only need to use handrails when going down the stairs, but there’s potential to slip and fall going in either direction.

Why don’t people use handrails?

According to a safety guidebook from the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service , the reasons people sometimes avoid using handrails include:

• A handrail is in poor condition. Encourage employees to report handrails that are loose, rough or in need of repair.
• Use of handrail slows your descent. It’s true, falling down the stairs is often faster, but much more painful.

You might also see people holding their cell phones or other devices in their hands, rather than the handrail.

Tips to be safe on stairways

Follow these tips to stay safe on stairways:

• Use handrails.
• Put your mobile device away.
• Take one step at a time. Slow down.
• Make sure you can see the stairs. Good lighting is essential.
• Keep stairways clear of clutter. It’s easy enough to lose your balance without having to navigate around clutter.
• Carry only what you can handle, leaving one hand free to use the handrail. Get help if you have to carry something large.
• Do not underestimate the risk of using the stairs. Focus on the stairs, not conversations or other distractions that may be present.
• If the steps are located outside, be extremely careful if it is raining or snowing.

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

Avoiding injury in snowy, icy weather can be difficult. Stay on your feet this winter by using these safety tips.

Avoid winter slips and falls: Prevent slipping and sliding

You can find more information and resources about winter safety on our slips and falls prevention page .

Improving safety performance means looking beyond past injuries

If you’re like many employers, you spend considerable time and money making sure your organization adheres to OSHA requirements. It may be tempting to view this as the finish line for preventing injuries, but in reality, maintaining a truly safe workplace means going well beyond compliance.

Establishing programs to comply with OSHA standards is definitely important, but stopping there leaves workers unprotected from the myriad dangers that haven’t been incorporated into state and national safety requirements.

“We recommend employers look beyond just the hazards that have been documented in the past,” said SFM Loss Prevention Technical Leader Lee Wendel. “If you rely on historical injury trends to predict future risks, you’re catching up instead of looking forward. A genuine commitment to safety means having the capacity to identify issues before they result in injuries.”

Since the federal government established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1970, the rate of serious injuries and illnesses in American workplaces has declined sharply. The frequency of such incidents has dropped from 10.9 per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.9 per 100 in 2016, according to OSHA. Employers’ compliance with OSHA’s safety rules has played a valuable role in this improvement, but this is only part of the equation.

Performing risk analysis

“Moving beyond compliance and into ‘risk analysis’ is something the safety profession has been working on for many years,” Wendel said. “The first step is giving careful consideration to any risks that could be jeopardizing the safety and health of your employees.”

Traditionally, employers and regulators have concentrated on the risks that are rated high in both probability and impact. An example of this would be working on a sloped roof without fall protection. In this scenario, there is a good chance that over time, workers will lose their balance and fall off the roof. Without fall protection, the impact of falling of a roof is high because it will almost always result in severe injury or death.

This particular hazard would be covered by OSHA regulations and injury prevention procedures, but the same can’t be said for every risk that falls into the high-high category (e.g., tripping hazards that could result in a serious slip and fall injury). Identifying risks in this category that have not been addressed at your company is definitely the place to start, but it shouldn’t end there.

Moving safety performance to the next level means looking for less obvious risks that could result in high-impact injuries. These are difficult to predict when one depends on “lagging” indicators such as injury reports, OSHA Logs or loss runs. Identifying these risks requires a shift to looking for a “leading” indicator – a condition, behavior or situation that you can envision leading to a significant injury.

Examples of using leading indicators to prevent injury:

• Eliminating unsafe driving behavior before it results in a crash
• Responding to a forecast of snow by pre-treating walkways with brine or other chemicals
• Observing employees using ladders and educating those using them incorrectly
• Auditing the cleanliness in work areas and ensuring clean, dry floors
• Recording which employees use their PPE (personal protective equipment) and having a drawing for a prize on a regular basis
• Training employees on safe lifting techniques, even if they’re not lifting heavy objects frequently
• Asking employees about hazardous conditions – and then working together to solve the problem before an incident occurs

It starts with leadership

The most effective safety strategies engage the employees – they are closest to the details of their jobs and are most likely to know where the risks are. Effective leaders interact with their employees regularly and treat them as partners in developing processes and communication that support safety throughout the operation.

By cultivating an open dialogue about spotting risks, leaders have the opportunity to eliminate situations in which the principles of efficiency and safety appear to be at odds. For example, an employee working on a tight deadline may believe that there isn’t time to follow all the safety procedures. The safest workplaces are the ones in which nobody perceives an advantage in working unsafely.

“We encourage leaders to build an expectation of safety into the process of running the business,” said Wendel. “Leaders need to express the requirement that workers get the job done without getting anybody hurt while doing it – even if that means coming up with a different way of doing it.

In the movies, when you see a shady character slip into a corner store, stick an item under his jacket, and make a beeline for the exit, you expect to see the shopkeeper chase him at full speed down the street.

But in the real world, a scene like this could cause an employee to fall, get hit by a car, or worse. The shoplifter could have a weapon or accomplices waiting.

At Kowalski’s Markets, a local chain of grocery stores in the Minneapolis area, Security Manager Scott Nelson advises employees never to chase a shoplifter.

“I always start by telling employees that there’s nothing in any of these stores that’s worth anybody getting hurt or risking injury,” he said. “I want to stress safety because obviously, our customers’ safety and our employees’ safety is our first concern.”

Instead, Nelson advises employees just give exceptional customer service to everyone, even to those they suspect might be stealing.

“If you greet them with customer service, they know you’re onto them and they typically drop the stuff and leave,” he said.

At times when there aren’t as many employees and customers around, Nelson advises staff not to overstock shelves with the pricier items that typically attract thieves and to put those items in visible places.

Even if these tactics don’t work, with video cameras, other security measures and good relationships with local police, Nelson can usually catch thieves after the fact, so chasing a suspect is never necessary, he said.

“I appreciate that employees sometimes just want to help, but I always say, ‘We care about you more than that thing he was stealing,'” he said. “My first concern for all our stores is that safety comes first.”

For other safety tips related to retail stores, see these resources:

• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ergonomic solutions for retailers
• A guide to robbery prevention and response from the Portland Police Bureau

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

By Mike Fetting, CSP

A burned ear drum. Just the thought makes you cringe, doesn’t it?

It’s as painful as it sounds, and it’s one of the injuries that can result when welding slag flies into your ear at high speed.

This can result in tinnitus, ear infections, balance problems and permanent hearing loss. It may require surgery.

These injuries can occur anytime someone is welding without ear protection, and the risk is especially high when a welder is working at an odd angle, such as underneath a wheel well.

Those who weld on the job suffer these types of injuries more often than you might think, but many don’t know to wear protection to avoid an accident.

The good news is it isn’t hard for welders to protect themselves from hot slag. To avoid a painful and sometimes lifelong injury:

• Wear fire-resistant foam or silicone custom-molded earplugs, or ear muffs while welding. Often grinding precedes the welding job, so you might need them for noise protection, too.
• Wear a full-face welder’s helmet along with a cloth welder’s cap that covers your ears and neck.

Other resources:

• Welders risk ear damage from hot slag – Hazard Alert from WorkSafe BC
• Welding and torching safety Supervisor Initiated Training
• Welding safety 5-minute Solution