How office space affects your health

Your office is where you sit and work for about 40 hours a week. Some are in their offices longer, others shorter periods. What most people don’t realise is that their office might cause them to become ill. While the office may seem like a safe place, this is not necessarily the case. By learning about the potential dangers of your office, you can begin to take steps to stay safe and healthy.

BAD POSTURE IS HARMFUL

Sit correctly when working. When you sit at a desk for many hours a day, you might be setting yourself up for troubles with your back, wrists, and neck. You need to learn to sit comfortably to avoid body aches. If your body is out of line, not only will you feel pain, but you might also have headaches and carpal tunnel disorder, a condition that causes your wrists to tighten up. It can only be rectified through surgery. To sit correctly:

• Choose a chair that allows you to place both feet on the ground.

• Sit with your back firmly against the chair.

• Ensure your wrists are resting on the desk as you type.

Monitor your daily stress while working

Monitor and reduce your stress levels regularly. This ensures you identify potential stressors and address them early. This will help you not only increase productivity but also your health, normalise blood pressure and reduce risk of heart disease.

STALE AIR IS HARMFUL

The air quality in your office affects your health. If your office is older, you might be subject to black mold as well as toxins. While offices are supposed to remove these harmful situations, this does not always happen. Most of the time, these problems come to light when workers begin to complain about feeling sick all the time. To ensure your office space is as healthy as possible, add a few living plants to your desk and office.

These plants will naturally detoxify the area by pulling in the chemicals. While they can’t remove every bad particle, they can greatly improve the air quality.

POSSIBLE PRINTER TOXINS

Do not inhale harmful particles from the aser printer. Research shows the ink particles from laser jet printers can fly into the air and cause lung troubles.

To ensure you aren’t putting yourself at risk, sit as far away as possible from the printer or open a window near it to dissipate the particles. You might also want to use a fan near your desk to keep the air fresh and free of anything that might increase your odds of illness.