While talking to my friends, a group of healthy 20-25 year-old university graduates who have recently entered the workforce, I was surprised to learn how common back and muscle pain due to studying and deskwork had become. As all of us were joking about how we felt like we were unhealthy and working labour intensive jobs, I could not help but recognize that this is a serious yet neglected issue.

When we think of why body aches and pains have become so common, often the answer that comes to mind is awkward posture, or working for too long. While these are contributing factors, there are a wide variety of elements at play. A specific field of study, called ergonomics, actually addresses these concerns. Many of us have heard the term and perhaps just never paid much attention to it, until it is too late!

Whether you work at a desk or in a more physically demanding role or anywhere in between, T. Harris Environmental Management Inc. (THEM) can help make sure your work isn’t hurting you. If you have questions about how we can help, call us at 1-888-ASK-THEM.

In a nutshell ergonomics is the process by which any task is adjusted to fit the person’s physical and mental capabilities to alleviate stress and/or strain, and as such, avoid ergonomic related injuries. Ergonomics is not just limited to the position of your chair, or the placement of your desk. It can be applied to everything we do in life; even sleeping. Thus, when applying ergonomics in the workplace the task is fitted to the worker, and when designing consumer items the products are matched to the target users.

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