CHICAGO, May 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VelocityEHS, the leading cloud environment, health, safety (EHS) and sustainability software provider, will host a presentation on the importance of office ergonomics to healthcare industry professionals at the Minnesota Occupational Health Nurses Association (MOHNA) Professional Development Conference. The presentation, “Current Thinking in Office Ergonomics,” given by VelocityEHS Director of Ergonomics, Gene Kay, MS, CPE, will help attendees better understand the injuries caused by improper desk posture and the tools available that work to correct these issues.
While much attention has been paid to the high rate of injuries among healthcare professionals due to overexertion (e.g. lifting patients), there have been limited conversations around Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) associated with sedentary behaviors and static postures of individuals who spend time at desks and computer workstations. In many cases, back pain, neck pain and eye strain is caused by improper monitor position and rigid sitting postures. These conditions can even result in metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions, including increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels, that occur together to increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
“Like many professionals across a number of industries, those in the healthcare industry spend prolonged periods of time sitting in a chair in front of computer screen, unaware of the negative effects that improper positioning, poor fit and bad posture have on their bodies,” says Kay. “Studies have shown significant gains in productivity and job satisfaction with the introduction of an effective office ergonomics program. By addressing office ergonomics risk factors in the healthcare industry in particular, these programs help you better manage lower-risk jobs like those with heavy computer use, so you can devote more attention to high-risk jobs such as patient handling, which is the leading cause of worker injuries in the industry.”
VelocityEHS offers cloud-based software that enables companies to deploy and monitor an enterprise-wide ergonomics program that makes it easy for employees to perform self-assessments and self-correct key issues. Now safety professionals have an affordable and quick-to-implement solution for monitoring progress, providing remote assistance, tracking and reporting on ergonomic processes. It’s a single-point solution that enables employers to assess and train employees – across one or multiple facilities – at the same time for less than it costs to support traditional live ergonomics coaching at a single location.
Healthcare industry professionals attending the MOHNA Professional Development Conference on May 10, 2016, are encouraged to join the presentation, “Current Thinking in Office Ergonomics” from 2:00 – 2:50 PM CT at the University of Minnesota. Gene Kay, MS, CPE, will discuss common injuries caused by employees who spend large amounts of time sitting at a desk and educate attendees on effective policies and procedures for managing employee sit/stand requests. For more information, visit http://www.maohn.org/.
Download the Office Ergonomics ROI – 6 Essentials for Large Employers eBook to learn more about the benefits of ergonomics and components of an effective ergonomic process. For more information about VelocityEHS and its ergonomics software, visit www.EHS.com.
About VelocityEHS
More than 8 million users worldwide from virtually every industry trust VelocityEHS and its solutions to improve EHS performance. Its unparalleled customer support and easily accessible platform delivers relevant EHS cloud solutions that help customers reach their goals faster. The company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with locations in Canada, the UK and Australia. For more information, visit www.EHS.com. VelocityEHS is an Actua (Nasdaq:ACTA) company.
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