Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Slow Killer Called Sitting

Anyone who has spent long hours siting knows how it can wear on you...well read on....

http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/The-slow-killer-called-sitting/5020240148

MINT sourced by HT Media Ltd / 14:11 , Dec 14, 2010

Hamilton's research, which is supported by a growing body of research into a concept called inactivity physiology, is trying to establish a link between disease and sedentary behaviour or prolonged sitting.

Rakesh Mehta, a 32-year-old business manager with a consultancy, spends most of his workday attending meetings, taking calls and writing instructions through emails, all sitting in his office. Once at home, he watches TV before going to bed. In a day, he spends around 8 hours sleeping, 2 hours standing or walking from one place to another, about half-an-hour exercising and the remaining 13-odd hours sitting. Don't be surprised if your own calculations throw up similar results. Like Mehta, most of us belong to a generation of sitters, thanks to technology's little conveniences. "Most of us spend almost 95% of our waking hours sitting," says Marc Hamilton, professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, US, in an email interview. He labels today's generation as "active couch potatoes", and those who manage the required 30 minutes of exercise everyday as "exercising couch potatoes". His papers, published in journals such as Diabetes (2007) and Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports (2008), show how excessive sitting time is harmful to cardiovascular and metabolic effects. This can lead to lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, and some cancers, irrespective of the time you spend exercising. Hamilton's research, which is supported by a growing body of research into a concept called inactivity physiology, is trying to establish a link between disease and sedentary behaviour or prolonged sitting. "It's a new way of thinking about physical inactivity or our sedentary lifestyle," says Hamilton.
According to a study of 8,800 adults published in January in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, for every 60 minutes you sit watching TV daily, you may increase your risk of early death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Inactivity just doesn't suit humans, according to Hamilton. "The enzyme LPL (lipoprotein lipase), which usually acts like a vacuum cleaner and sucks up the bad fat in your blood and converts it into muscle, shuts down when you are sitting or lounging," he explains. It's like our body's good workers go idle when we are sitting, so more fat stays in the blood and starts getting deposited in the belly fat and other organs. "When you are inactive for a prolonged period, your muscles become placid and lose their tautness. You also tend to gain weight, especially in the midriff area," says Sanjay Mehrotra, senior consultant cardiologist, Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital, Bangalore. The fat which gets collected in the central part of your body, starts behaving like an endocrine gland, he says. It secretes hormones which lead to an increase in artery-damaging fat in the blood, causing obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
Back problems Other than the heart, your back, spine, shoulders and hips develop problems due to prolonged sitting. "Your spine is made to stand. When you sit for longer hours, to be in a perfect posture with a straight back, you need very strong back muscles," says Shiv Kanwat, consultant, physiotherapy, Moolchand Orthopaedics Hospital, New Delhi, who gets many patients who are in their early 20s and mid-30s with neck, lower back or shoulder complaints. And since most people do not have very strong back muscles, they tend to slouch after long hours of sitting, leading to the lower back slouching forward and shoulders drooping. Over time, this leads to pain in the shoulders, neck and lower back. Computer table too low? The problem is multiplied because ergonomics is not something most Indian firms include in their priority list. Bhavna Popat, 28, developed lower back pain after just a couple of years of working in a call centre. "The chair at my office was the problem; it was just too straight," she says. Though her chair was changed later, it was too late to save her back. "The ergonomics in most companies are pathetic," says Bipin Walia, senior consultant, neurosurgery and head neuro spine surgery, Max Hospital, New Delhi. "If you are sitting at a desk for 8 hours, a bad chair and badly placed computer can do a lot of damage to your spine." Such repetitive stress injuries (RSI) affect muscles, tendons and nerves of the neck, upper and lower back, chest, shoulders, arms and hands.
Deepak Sharan, medical director, RECOUP Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation Centre, Bangalore, says, "Early symptoms of RSI, which most of us tend to ignore, are discomfort, stiffness, clumsiness, tingling, headaches and a constant need to stretch or massage one's arms." A research study published in October in the International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology on ergonomics-related health problems in people in Indian IT and IT services companies, found that 42% of the 650respondents felt "pain or aching in wrists, forearms, elbows, neck, or the back followed by discomfort". Almost 50% of them felt that the reason for this was "sitting in the same posture for continuous long hours". Not surprisingly, almost 72.5% of the respondents felt that their company had not taken notice of their problems and nothing was being done to improve the ergonomics at work. Bad ergonomic conditions lead not only to health problems but also loss of employee productivity. Dr Sharan, who runs programmes on ergonomics in companies such as Oracle, Hewlett Packard and Wipro, says he has received positive feedback from the employees after the programme. "Rather than investing in expensive gyms, employers should invest in well-designed chairs and workstations to improve productivity," he says.
Mumbai-based fitness expert Leena Mogre has started a special fitness course aimed at what she calls "professional sitters", or people who live life at a right angle position. "Your spine is always bending forward, which leads to your core, abs and lower back becoming very weak," she says. Her exercises help strengthen these areas, she says. Get up and gossip The good news is that if you lead even a normally active life, you can undo all these sitting-related injuries. According to a study published in Diabetes Care in 2007 in Australia, constant light-intensity activity is good for your body. So even a little activity such as taking a coffee break (without having coffee) or taking a short walk during lunch break can protect your heart. "The idea is to slow the process down and the way is to remain active physically," says Dr Mehrotra. "Walking increases your metabolic rate, burns some calories and keeps your heart pumping." Taking a break has an additional benefit of giving your back a break, says Dr Kanwat. "Your joints need to constantly move." Walk for 1-2 minutes every 20 minutes of sitting, catch up on some gossip by the coffee machine and you should be all right.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Ergonomic Partners Receives Gorbel Cutting Edge Award 2 Years in a Row


Gorbel Cutting Edge Award:

Ergonomic Partners is proud to announce that it followed up it's 2009 Cutting Edge Award with another Cutting Edge award in 2010. This award shows why Ergonomic Partners is the leading authorized sales and service center for the G-Force product in the Midwest.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

How To Choose an Anti-Fatigue Mat

Anti-fatigue matting comes in many different styles and prices. To choose anti-fatigue mats correctly, the specific environment the mat is going into must be considered.

Matting can be broken down into the top 10 most common categories in no particular order:

1. Food Production Mats
2. Lab and Pharmaceutical Mats
3. Non-Conductive Mats
4. Static Control Mats
5. Entrance Mats
6. Industrial Heavy Duty Dry
7. Industrial Medium Duty Dry
8. Industrial Light Duty Dry
9. Industrial Heavy Duty Wet
10. Industrial Medium Duty Wet

Food Production Mats - are designed to withstand oil, greases and wear found in food processing environments. When searching for food production matting, choose a mat that consists of a specially formulated ant-bacterial Nitrile rubber composite that withstands a wide range of oils, fats and greases.

Lab and Pharmaceutical Mats - are designed specifically for operating rooms, pharmacies, laboratories and many other sterile environments. Lab and pharmaceutical environments should have matting made of a Nitrile Rubber. This compound is resilient and anti-microbial.

Non Conductive Mats - Most commonly called Switchboard matting, these non-conductive mats insulate workers, protecting from deadly shocks generated by high voltage equipment. These mats are typically made of vinyl and have a high Dielectric strength. These mats not only save money, but they save lives.

Static Control Mats - are designed to control the risk of static electric discharge. They are typically used around sensitive equipment where static electricity could cause damage. When selecting an anti-static mat, it should be noted that a heel grounder will be required. Without the heel grounder to dissipate the static electricity, the mat will not truly be a static control mat.

Entrance Mats - are designed to protect floors and prevent slipping when entering a building. These mats typically are useful in heavy traffic areas. There are two main kind of entrance mats. Coarse fiber mats are used to hide dirt and foot traffic patterns. Heavy duty rubber mats with finger tip design remove dirt before it becomes a problem.

Industrial Heavy Duty Dry Mats - are designed for heavy foot traffic, cart traffic and protection in high risk areas. Good anti-fatigue mats for heavy duty applications have at least a five year warranty, and are at least 9/16" thick.

Industrial Medium Duty Dry Mats - are designed with resilience, comfort and ease of maintenance in mind. When selecting a medium duty dry mat, the thickness needs to be at least 1/2" with a minimum of a three year warranty.

Industrial Light Duty Dry Mats - are the most economical and common anti-fatigue mats. These mats are typically made out of a less expensive PVC sponge which do not hold up as well as the above noted mats. When selecting a light duty dry mat, the thickness should be at least 3/8" and have a minimum of a one year warranty.

Industrial Heavy Duty Wet Mats - are designed to reduce fatigue, help facilitate drainage and is modular for the ease of cleaning. Modular matting is very important for areas that are constantly wet. Cutting fluid and grease can build up on matting. Hence, if modular matting is in place, just the one small section can be removed and replaced. When selecting a heavy duty dry mat, the thickness should be at least 7/8" and have a minimum of a three year warranty.

Industrial Medium Duty Wet Mats - are designed to prevent accidents in areas where chemicals, oil and waterl can be present. Most wet matting has an option for a gritty surface. If the application is in a slippery area, this is highly recommended. When selecting a medium duty wet mat, the thickness should be at least 5/8" with a minimum of a one year warranty.

When selecting anti-fatigue matting, most applications will fall under one of the above products. The most common misconception with ergonomic matting is that what is good for one application is good for another. The truth is that anti-fatigue matting is carefully engineered and designed to fit exact types of applications. There are several different materials to choose from including PVC, Nitrile rubber or Urethane. No matter what material is chosen, make sure it fits the application accordingly.

In conclusion, many mats are chosen specifically on price. From experience, this typically only makes matters worse. Lower price usually equals lack of thickness and quality. Both lead to the discomfort of employees and costly replacements. Use the guidelines above when selecting anti-fatigue matting and any issues with anti-fatigue matting will be in the past. Remember, taking care of your people is good for business.

https://www.ergonomicpartners.com/ergonomic-industrial-equipment