Ergonomic Apps
Working on the computer may not be very physical, nevertheless it’s pretty tough on your body. Sitting all day can hurt your lower back and can negatively impact your circulation. All that extensive typing you do (if you’re anythign like us!) can stiffen msucles in your upper back and neck, and to top it off, staring at the screen for hours on end can be tiring the cause of serious eye problems.
The good news, though, is that short breaks of stretching can do wonders for your health and wellbeing. Tell your boss that when they give you the eye! Check out these cool apps for your computer or phone:
EVO
EVO is a website helper which runs your selection of a default or custom timer that will remind you of a 5 or 10 minute break. The setup is simplistic and not intrusive. During the screen, EVO can black out your screen and count down the time of your break.
Evo also provides instructions for eye gymnastics that you can go through during your break.
DOWNLOAD: http://www.protectyourvision.org/
RSIGUARD
Remedy Interactive’s RSIGuard is a proven solution desktop ergonomic software solution that reduces the impact of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) for office workers.
Around the globe, health and safety managers, ergonomists, health practitioners, and individual computer users rely on RSIGuard’s comprehensive set of tools to proactively identify risks of repetitive strain injuries early, reduce the risk of injuries, increase injury prevention program efficiency. Now available in 8 languages.
DOWNLOAD: http://www.rsiguard.com/
BIG STRETCH REMINDER
Big Stretch Reminder is a reminder app designed to remind you to do regular stretches during your work day. It comes with a variety of options, including custom settings. You can select the time between breaks from a list of predefined options or create a custom setting.
DOWNLOAD: http://www.monkeymatt.com/bigstretch/
BREAKER
Breaker is a simple Windows software that lets you set up breaks individually in a loop or pattern. The app runs in the system tray and when you hover over it you can see the countdown to your next break. Once the time has run out, a quiet alarm and a little window reminds you that it’s time for that break or to get back to work if the break is over. This one is also a great tool to remind yourself of meetings or appointments throughout the day.
DOWNLOAD: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-tools/Diary-Organizers-Calendar/Breaker.shtml
(This one’s not so much about lunch but mroe about avoiding back breaks – still relevant to ergonomics)
HT NIOSH LIFT CALCULATOR
By some estimates, the effects of manual material handling represent the biggest single contributor to worker injury in the United States. According to the 2010 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, overexertion injuries (which include injuries related to lifting) are the most disabling of all workplace injuries, accounting for $13.4 billion in direct costs.
DOWNLOAD: https://ergo-plus.com/niosh-lifting-equation-calculator/
