Healthy & Safety Practices in the Work Place

Work takes up a huge chunk of the day for many adults worldwide. Because you spend so much time there, you're likely to run into same health and safety concerns. Each type of job comes with its own concerns, particularly safety concerns in industries like construction or anything working with hazardous materials. However, for those people without a particularly dangerous job, there still are steps you can take at work to keep healthy and safe during your workday.

Eating Habits

• Almost half of American workers report they've gained weight on their jobs. This is largely because we are more likely to snack at work while sitting in a chair for eight hours a day. Some ways to avoid the workplace weight gain, according to That's Fit, is to avoid buying snacks from the vending machine, drinking water instead of soda at your desk, bringing a healthy lunch instead of going to eat and having healthy snacks around so, when that 3 p.m. craving hits, you'll eat those snacks instead of the leftovers in the break room.

Exercise

• If possible, ride a bike or walk to work. If you take a bus, get off at an earlier stop and walk a few blocks. Use stairs instead of an elevator, park far away from the door and instead of sending an email, walk across the office to talk to a coworker. You can use your lunch break to walk around the block or get in some exercise. Also, while sitting at a desk, stretch your arms, legs, back and more, which helps you relax as well.

Pain and Strain

• Staring at a computer screen or hunching over a keyboard for long periods of time can cause pain, as can repetitive movements like typing. You may find your eyes feel strained or tired at the end of the day; to avoid this, take a short break from the computer every hour. You can go to the bathroom, make phone calls or do other tasks, but give your eyes a rest. To avoid wrist pain from typing, use a wrist support as part of your keyboard. You can relieve back, neck or shoulder pain by taking short breaks as well. Get up, walk around and stretch out. Take some time during the day to gauge your posture, and focus on sitting up straight if you find yourself frequently hunched over. Try sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair.

Avoiding Germs

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. Most offices have many people in and out on a regular basis, and you don't know how clean the hands are of the last person who touched a doorknob or shook your hand. Your computer and phone can have up to 20,000 bacteria, while a keyboard has several thousand. Spray your equipment with disinfectant and try not to touch your nose, eyes or mouth.

Handling Stress

• Get to know your coworkers. When you have good relationships with your colleagues, work is more enjoyable, you'll feel more supported and you're less likely to be overwhelmed by stress.