SMB Networks / Telework /

Sit up straight! Don't forget to blink!

By Toni Kistner
Net.Worker, 11/27/00

When a company sends some percentage of its employees to work at home, everything changes. Whereas before, management supported a relatively homogenous group clustered in one location, it's now got a mix of office-bound and remote workers, and has to deal with issues affecting either group, or both.

Take workplace safety, for example. In mid November, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) put the finishing touches on an Ergonomics Program Standard - a set of rules for diagnosing and treating workplace injuries. OSHA claims that 1.8 million musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are reported annually, which account for a third of all workplace injuries. By making workplace safety the law, the agency hopes to cut the number of MSDs in half over the next decade.

OSHA's regulation is focused primarily on improving conditions in the hospital, restaurant, grocery, trucking and courier industries. However, OSHA recognizes that office workers and computer users are at risk for MSDs such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis, as well as a form of eye strain called Computer Vision Syndrome.

What's interesting is that OSHA's rules don't apply to the home office.

On the one hand, rolling out an ergonomics plan for on-site office workers can be a pretty straightforward undertaking, i.e., provide adjustable office chairs with lumbar support, mouse and keyboard wrests, keyboard trays and glare screens. Then inspect each workstation to ensure workers have made all the proper adjustments to the height and distance of their desk equipment. But how do you replicate such a strategy for each of your teleworkers? Do you have to?

Forget OSHA, of course you do. But in case you're tempted to leave your home workers' ergonomic health and safety entirely up to them, keep these points in mind:

Teleworkers, it can be argued, are at greater risk for ergonomic injuries than their office-bound peers are. Teleworkers typically work alone with few interruptions and for long stretches of time without breaks. They're free to set their own hours and are unhampered by commutes, lunch breaks, or in-person meetings. They often work straight through the evening news. Realize also, many teleworkers are highly disciplined, motivated self-starters prone to working too hard by nature.

What's more, home workers are more likely to be using a mish-mash of computer and office equipment. While employers sometimes buy a teleworker's equipment, they stop short of springing for the desk and chair. Also, home workers are more likely to blend home furniture and office furniture, or pick a stylish desk chair over a frumpy ergonomic one, especially if they lack dedicated office space or the $750 for a Herman Miller Aeron. One home worker I know loves the look of his "desk" - an old door held up by two-drawer file cabinets. Another rejects her dedicated home office, preferring to spend long days curled up with her laptop on the living room couch.

I'm not advocating employers go making home office inspections, or lecture home workers on their eccentric work habits. But if your company already has an ergonomic policy in place, you must make the effort to extend it to your home workers, regardless of whether OSHA requires it, or your home workers ask for it.

If you haven't drafted an ergonomic plan of action yet, you better get moving. A good place to start is by reviewing the OSHA guidelines, which do a decent job helping employers and employees identify workplace problems. Another good resource is the International Telework Association and Council's (ITAC) site http://www.telecommute.org, where you'll find a home office set-up brochure from Telcordia Technologies chock-full of diagrams and useful tips such as "Don't forget to blink. Concentrating on your screen can slow your blink rate."

If you're considering hiring an ergonomics consultant, or need more information on ergonomics in general, go to www.ergoweb.com. Moreover, telework consultants - of which you'll find a listing at ITAC's site - typically provide ergonomics training as part of the package.