by Marijane Suttor

Created on: September 12, 2007

Whether it is at school or at home, ergonomics is a serious issue that parents and schools alike must start to take seriously.

Walk into a local elementary school computer lab and you are likely to see students sitting on metal folding chairs with their feet dangling and their necks bent as they peer up at the computer which is placed a table that is too high for them to appropriately reach the keyboard and mouse. Step into a home office and a child can be seem propping her feet up on the desk leaning back with the keyboard on her lap. None of these scenarios are ergonomically correct.

It is important that ergonomics be seriously considered with both parents and schools because the toll that these students may have yet to pay is still unknown.

Some reasons that ergonomics is important to consider in children are that their bones are still growing, their spines are evolving and their vision is malleable.

There are several warning signs that children may be experiencing repetitive stress in the hands, wrists, back, or neck.

1) Pain
2) Fatigue
3) Weakness
4) Tingling or numbness
5) Stiffness

Children just like adults can suffer from eyestrain as well. They may have dry eyes, blurred vision, bloodshot eyes, or sore tired eyes.

Two other areas that children benefit from ergonomic analysis are the effect of backpacks an hand stress from handwriting.

These are a few simple solutions and products that parents and schools can consider putting in place to make the children's environments more ergonomically safe.

Backpacks

Most medical professionals sustain that students should not carry more than 10-15% of their body weight in a backpack. It is not unusual to see a teen who ways 120 pounds carrying a back pack that weighs 25-20 pounds. At that rate the student is carrying nearly 25% of their weight which is too much.

The best solution is for students to drop 30% of the load and carry an ergonomically designed backpack. This will reduce the stress on the back and shoulders by 80% according to www.askergoworks.com which sells ergonomically correct backpacks from $45-53.99. These backpacks have a patented lumbar support cushion and foam cushioned wide shoulder straps. It transfers the weight from the shoulders to the lower back and promotes an upright standing position.

School districts should evaluate the size and weight of the textbooks that are being considered. This should be a factor in whether books is

Handwriting Fatigue

Writer's cramp is no joke. Students completing long handwritten

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