We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Health

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What are Ergonomic Injuries?

By Jacob Queen
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 35,562
Share

When people talk about ergonomic injuries, they are generally referring to injuries that happen from doing common movements incorrectly. This could include things like lifting objects with an improper motion or leaning forward too far when doing a job for a long period of time. Injuries of this kind are very common in the workplace, and they can happen in both demanding physical jobs and office jobs. Many pieces of equipment are developed with ergonomic injuries in mind, and sometimes people have to learn new ways of moving so that they can avoid getting hurt.

Some ergonomic injuries happen because of repetitive motions, while others may happen due to one single event. It’s very common for these kinds of injuries to occur in a person's joints. Sometimes it takes years of accumulated work to gradually deteriorate the joints, and sometimes it occurs quickly. Another common location for ergonomic injuries is in the tendons because they can easily become inflamed over time. An example of a common tendon injury is the tendinitis that people get when they type on computer keyboards at a bad angle.

Ergonomic injuries can be a big expenditure for some businesses. Depending on the work programs or guarantees that a business offers, it may have to pay for health care costs and offer compensation to workers who injure themselves on the job. These injuries can also be a big drag on government money in places where there is national health care or in cases of severe disabilities. This has been such a big problem that some companies have instituted sweeping changes in order to avoid worker injuries, and some governments have also mandated overhauls to the system.

There are many different ways that companies change in order to avoid ergonomic injuries. For example, they may change the kind of equipment that is used for a job or adjust the positioning of certain equipment. In many cases, a common change is teaching workers how to do their jobs without injuring themselves. For example, workers may have to learn a different motion to use when carrying heavy objects or learn how to bend without putting undue strain on their backs.

Once workers learn how to avoid ergonomic injuries, another difficulty can be enforcing the new procedures. Sometimes workers can be resistant to change, or they may have a hard time breaking bad habits. Oversight from bosses is often required to keep the workers on the new program until the new behavior becomes habitual.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By chivebasil — On Dec 28, 2012

@clippers - Actually it is part training, part organization and part equipment.

The way a workplace is set up and the way machines are operated are both significant factors. You can reduce the risk of all sorts of workplace injuries, including ergonomic ones, if you just think of setting up workplaces with the worker in mind.

By clippers — On Dec 28, 2012

@tigers88- How would they do that? Is it all a matter of training?

By tigers88 — On Dec 27, 2012

Workplace health and safety is a serious issue and any workplace that treats this issue with the respect that it deserves will take significant steps to reduce the risk of ergonomic injuries.

By vigilant — On Dec 26, 2012

I hurt myself at the gym recently. But it wasn't because I twisted something the wrong way or I lifted too much weight. My doctor just told me that I was holding the weights incorrectly when I lift and that was why my wrists were always aching.

Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-are-ergonomic-injuries.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.