ergonomics for hairstylists

OK, you have heard this all before, but after having my haircut today and watching the stylist standing with arms held out to shoulder level and up, they have got to have a lot of discomfort at the end of the day.

First make sure your scissors have a bend in them to avoid bending your own wrists. There are ergonomic scissors for stylists out there, invest in yourself and get them. Kenchii makes several some with a swivel, flex scissors is another brand.
Make sure between clients you take the time to do shoulder rolls and gentle stretches of your hands and arms.

I need to look good, so please you need to be comfortable cutting hair, and for pete's sake wear comfortable shoes.

Monday's rant

I get a lot of questions about ergonomics, from engineers and healthcare professionals. Some from people who know ergonomics and others from people who just think they do.
I have no problem with the first, I learn alot from them and hope they can get something from me. the second group is a problem. Ergonomics is not a sub species of Medicine or Engineering. It pulls from mulitple fields including health care and engineering as well as pyschology, physics and other sciences.

There is a reason that it is a degree unto itself with credentialed providers. I see more than a few people who have had an evaluation and gotten poor advice that made problems worse.
If you need an ergonomic evaluation, get it from a reliable source and a reliable evaluator. You may not need the full services of a Certified Professional Ergonomist, but at the least make sure you have your evaluation done by someone with experience in the field. Who knows not only what your risk factors are, but what equipment is available and how to use it.

For Heaven's sake don't get cheap chairs.

TGIF Gardening ergonomic tips.

Friday, I still feel like crap, but it is an all paperwork day so I can avoid inflicting my irritability on anyone else.
For those of you looking ahead to gardening this weekend, here are some ways to get through the weekend without killing yourself. (first and foremost, wear gloves!)
USE WELL DESIGNED GARDENING GLOVES AND TOOLS


Tools

- Shorter tool handles provide greater leverage control (best for small hand tools).

- Longer tool handles provide greater power and are best for jobs which require full body motion (example: loppers or pruners).

- Handles should be cylindrical in shape.

- The shape of the handle should provide equal pressure along the entire arch of the palm (contoured, not straight).

- The handle should be made of compressed rubber to minimize friction.

- If your existing tools have wooden or metal handles, consider adding padded tape such as “Wrap N Grip” or pipe insulation foam.

- Handles should be 1.25” x 1.75” in diameter and a minimum of 5” long.

- The recommended maximum distance between two handles for tools with a handle span (example: pruners/shears) is 2” to 2.7”.


To Enjoy Gardening...

- Before you begin gardening, take a few minutes to stretch to help minimize muscle soreness and the risk of tendonitis. In particular, do stretches for your arms and back.

- Let your daily physical activity level serve as your guide for how long you can garden. For example, if you are physically active 1 hour a day, you should be able to garden an hour a day.

- Be sure to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration while you are gardening.

- Even if you do not feel fatigued, take a break for a few minutes each hour.

- Change gardening tasks frequently (at least every 30 minutes). For example, if you are weeding and using the small muscles of your hands, rotate this task with watering the flowers, hoeing or trimming the shrubs where you are using larger muscles in a standing position.

- Be sure to keep hand tools sharp with a tool sharpener (i.e. honing stone).

- Keep tools with moving parts in good working order and oiled so there is little resistance with use.

Tools that I have seen that work ( I haven’t evaluated, personally, but have heard that they help, the arthritis association also has recommendations

Circle Hoe
Extend a hand
Padded handles and handles that aren’t straight
This website has a lot of them
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/gardentools.html

Spring cold

Nothing worse than a cold in the spring. Being sick fits in January and February, but it is somehow worse when the weather turns nice. I had read that ZiCam works to reduce the duration of colds, but only the if you use the ZiCam nasal swab, considering my nose seems to be moving at high speed to have liquids leave, I find it hard to believe that putting something in your nose will work. But, I am trying everything.

Recently read an article about allergens, and that allergies that you "grew out of" as a child can come back when you are older and super allergens may be a culprit. I have nothing to pass on in the way of ergonomics, but if you have a good cold remedy, let me know.

Check below, I have added and ergonomics news feed to the page.

safe foot wear sneaker monday

Rainy Monday's are almost too cliche to mention, but a dreary day here. For those of you who need to get up and get to work in this weather (as do I) make sure your foot wear is appropriate. High heels are not good shoes for most weather but worse when it is wet. Shoes with flat soles and tread with circles ( not channels) are the safest. I am particulrly fond of skateboarding shoes as they grip well. Another source for shoes is shoes for crews. ( I will stick the link to them here later)
Ok ergokids, be safe walking leave the heels and leather soled shoes at home. It is sneaker Monday

Ergonomics and Driving

Today is Mother's day. If you are driving to mom's house today or driving mom to dinner, take the time to make your car seat comfortable.
Take the time to learn how to adjust your seat, steering wheel and mirrors

Adjust the drivers seat so your legs reach and compress the pedals comfortably, then raise the seat height so that your knees are slightly lower then your hips.
(get a cushion if you need it. it helps with vibration for long drives)

Then adjust the back of the seat so that where you curve in ( just above your butt at the small of your back is where the seat back curves out.
Adjust the steering column so that the middle of the steering wheel is about elbow height. (padding on steering wheel can reduce vibration) If posssible wrists and elbows should be as close to the same height as possible.

Adjust mirrors and put on seat belt, seat belt should be on the shoulder and not ride on your neck.
Fine tune the seat adjustments to ensure comfort.

Adjust your chair!

Let’s start with simple ergonomics for office workers. By now many people have heard about ergonomics and know to avoid bad postures and overuse.
But HOW to make your desk work for you is a horse of another colour.

Office workers who use a keyboard and mouse a lot.
Start with your chair. Get the height right ( Usually a lever on the right side of the seat)
Your elbows should be at the height of your work. Your feet should be on the floor ( or if you have to, use a foot rest. But get the kind that rock or have massage balls, something that moves so you don’t keep your feet in the same position all day.
Most of the people I see don’t adjust their chairs. Play with it! Find out if the seat slides in and out, does the back adjust?


· Use the 20/20 rule to take a stretch break every 20 minutes for 20 seconds
· Avoid forward flexion of the spine, as often as possible lean back and keep your back in good alignment.
o Keep your mouse close to the desk edge your elbow should be directly under your shoulder
o Keep your back supported by the chair back when keying or mousing.
o Avoid using your shoulder to cradle the phone
o Keep your arms rests lower than the desk edge and lower then elbow height
· Avoid twisting or turning to reach for items on the desk