IS3. Tips to Lessen Pain at the Office

Дата публикации: Aug 09, 2015 3:3:23 PM

Transcript

R (Fredricka Whitfield): Hi, if you work in an office, you spend around seven and a half hours a day on the computer according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And that just a work, you might go home and actually get back online.

So, how do you, er, keep your wrists and your neck from hurting? Our tech expert Marc Saltzman is here via Skype from Toronto

Good to see you, Marc. So, let's begin with mice, you know, what should you be looking for .. it can contribute to your discomfort if it doesn't fit?

M: Sure, so, what we are talking about today is ergonomics which is the study of creating .. designing devices to better fit our body, so, what is reducing repetative stress injuries?

So, mice, number one ... that's a device... if you attach the mouse to your computer, so, make sure that you tried it at retail

It's ok if you shop online or even do your research online, to make sure to put you hand on it and it's comfortable to you.

A good mouse should have a slight hump in the middle to fit the contours of your palm.

Er, a wireless mouse may be more comfortable because you're not gonna be tethered to your computer with the cable and therefore maybe making sacrifaces to use it, erm, you know, it depends of how much room you've got on your desk.

You wanna limit your wrist movement as much as possible. Try to keep your wrists straight to avoid repetetive stress injures like Corporal Tunnel Syndrome, and instead, you wanna move your forearm and .. your elbow in a way .. it's comfortable.

And in finally if a mouse is not good for you all that movement, a trackball might be better because it's a stationery device with a little ball on top and you can simply use your fingertips

R: Mm-mm

M: to move the cursor on the screen

R: Okay, and what about the keyboard? How to pick a right keyboard for you?

M: Sure, so, an ergonomic keyboard is a good idea.

These are slightly curved inwards if you rest your right and left hands on the table in front of you, you're noticed that they point at each other a little bit instead of them being straight, you know, forward with your elbows in, that's not natural.

So, an ergonomic keyboard is slightly curved.

Erm, that's the kind you should be using to have less strain on your wrists.

Erm, if you have a laptop which of course has a keyboard already that it's straight and not curved and you in one place for a long time consider plugging in an external keyboard into a USB-port.

Get ... ergonomic keyboards, try to keep your wrist somewhat floating above the keys instead of reaching for them with your palms, er, down on the desk in front of the keyboard.

And finally try to master those shortcuts in Windows or in the MacOS operating systems because they all reduce the number of keys strokes you're using

R: Wow, and then, how you said concertainly impact your comfort and the same goes for your eyes and your neck

M: Sure, okay, so, pick up a decent chair with lower back support. They don''t cost a lot these days.

If you get one on wheels and you have more freedom to move around of your desk.

You don't wanna be, er, turning your neck to look at the computer monitor, try to look at it straight

R: Uh-huh

M: Both your feet should be flat on floor and if your're vertically challenged like ... .. and Daniel Craig .. on your floor .. that's what I do, erm, definetly, erm, because .. be considering of the light around you.

You don't wanna be squinting to see the monitor .. get head aches. Who needs the cross ..

R: yeah

M: Enlarge the font and finally take breaks, streach, do little exercises with your arms, legs and feet, er, close your eyes, look away from your computer

You know that thing, it's all about the moderation you don't wanna over do it

R: Uh-huh, and then use some overhead light as much as you can so, you know, to get rid all that squinting that we're talking about .. that's goot too

M: That's right

R: Right

M: you've got it

R: All right, Marc Saltzman, thanks so much, it was good to see you

M: ...

R: Keeping us comfortable as we're getting to our gadjets. Thanks so much.

Vocabulary

the contours /ˈkɒntʊə(r)z/ of your palm

lessen /ˈlesn/ - to become or make something become smaller, weaker, less important, etc

Bureau /ˈbjʊərəʊ/- an office or organization that collects or provides information

Labor - work, especially physical work

To contribute - to give money, help, ideas etc to something that a lot of other people are also involved in

Ergonomics /ˌɜːɡəˈnɒmɪks/ - the way in which the careful design of equipment helps people to work better and more quickly

Repetitive /rɪˈpetətɪv/ - done many times in the same way, and boring

Retail - the sale of goods in shops to customers, for their own use and not for selling to anyone else [-> wholesale]

Hump /hʌmp/ - a large round shape that rises above the surface of something

a raised part on the back of a CAMEL

Palm - the inside surface of your hand, in which you hold things

to tether /ˈteðə(r)/

tether something (to something) to tie an animal to a post so that it cannot move very far

He tethered his horse to a tree.

He checked that the animals were safely tethered.

to use a smartphone to connect a computer to the Internet

My phone does have tethering software on it so I often use it but it’s slow.

strain /streɪn/

injury

[countable, uncountable] an injury to a part of your body, such as a muscle, that is caused by using it too much or by twisting it

a calf/groin/leg strain

muscle strain

stroke /strəʊk/

1. сущ.

1) удар

2) ход, действие, проявление; приём

3) такт; взмах (элементарное движение)

4) бой часов

5) ударение

6) мед. паралич, удар; инсульт

7) мазок, черта, штрих прям. и перен.

8) лёгкое прикосновение, поглаживание

9) жарг.; редк. совокупление

10) спорт. а) гребок б) стиль плавания

vertically challenged - a parody euphemism for short stature or dwarfism

decent /ˈdiːsnt/ - of a good enough standard or quality

1) подходящий, пристойный

2) приличный, порядочный; благопристойный, скромный; сдержанный

3) разг. славный, хороший; неплохой, сносный

to squint /skwɪnt/ - to look at something with your eyes partly closed in order to see better

to stretch /stretʃ/ - to make something bigger or looser by pulling it, or to become bigger or looser as a result of being pulled

see pain vs. ache vs. hurt vs. боль

Questions

Comprehension Check

1. According to the statistics, how many hours do you spend at the computer if you work at the office?

If you work in an office, you spend around seven and a half hours a day on the computer according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2. What is ergonomics?

• Ergonomics which is the study of creating .. designing devices to better fit our body, so, what is reducing repetative stress injuries

• The way in which the careful design of equipment helps people to work better and more quickly

• The study of working conditions, especially the design of equipment and furniture, in order to help people work more efficiently

• Human factors and ergonomics (HF&E), also known as comfort design, functional design, and user-friendly systems, is the practice of designing products, systems or processes to take proper account of the interaction between them and the people who use them.

3. What are the tips for buying mice?

• try before you buy

• should fit contours of hand

• wireless - fewer restriction

• limit wrist movement

• consider a trackball

4. What about picking the right keyboard?

• look to reduce wrist strain

• curved keyboard

• on laptop, plug in keyboard

• keep wrists "floating"

• learn keyboard shortcuts

5. How about taking care of your neck and eyes?

Finding the right chair

• chair with back support and wheels

• don't lean into monitor

• feet flat on the floor

• keyboard at elbow level

• face monitor straight-on

Eyes & neck protection

• use overhead lighting

• enlarge fonts to avoid strain

• buy hand-free headset

• take breaks to stretch

• look away from monitor

6. What about taking breaks?

• take breaks

• stretch

• do little exercises with your arms, legs and feet

• close your eyes

• look away from your computer

use massage chair

stretching my arms, shoulders, back and neck

doing exercises on the horizontal bar (pull-up)

go running or jogging (= running at a leisurely pace)