Harmful Things in Your Office You Might be Surprised By

Working in an office often comes with a preconceived notion of comfortable chairs under an air-conditioned roof and a computer system in front. People prefer to work in an office environment as compared to manual labor or a field sales job as it doesn’t involve any physical exertion on the body. But did you know some office elements are indeed a source of health disorders and some being harmful in their own ways?

We reveal some surprising things you didn’t see coming your way.

Monitor

Be it a desktop monitor or your laptop, the screen emits blue light and continuous exposure of it causes strain to your eyes. Staring at the screen through the office hours affect sleep pattern at night. Other factors affecting eyes could be constant flickering and the glare from the screens that dilate your pupils.

EMF Radiation

We have been studying electric and magnetic fields (EMF) since school days but seldom gave a second thought in our workspace. Daily-use gadgets emit invisible energy waves known as EMFs. So, beware of the radiation from Apple Watch you own. Luckily, most these gadgets have been proven to emit non-ionizing radiations that do not harm our body as per the studies. However, workspace such as medical setups where X-rays are taken is found to emit harmful ionizing radiations affecting health significantly.

Continuous exposure to non-ionizing radiation though can affect mood and sleep, according to dozens of studies carried out on them.

Clutter

The office is a space of files, documents, cartons, wires, etc. Unless these have been stored or managed appropriately, they can be a reason for slips and trips. Boxes, wires along the walkway could lead to a fall and a serious injury. Also, hanging and lose wires are a site of possible electrical injury such as shock.

Chair

You read that right! Your comfortable-looking cushioned chair could be the cause of health problems such as back pain and poor posture. Prolonged working hours on the chair have a direct relation to obesity if there is no physical activity involved in between such as walking. The reason being zero to very less burning of calories while you work the keyboard. Blood flow to the hips and legs becomes restricted.

Storage locations

Those cabinets and drawers could be a cause of a bodily injury if they are not closed properly or things stored haphazardly. Often, those drawers have pointy edges which make them a probable site of getting struck into and scraped. Heavy objects stored on top of the cabinets could have serious damage should they fall on someone.

Ergonomics

A lot of corporate offices these days emphasize the importance of an ergonomic workplace. It simply means office equipment such as tables, chairs, and systems being able to adjust and position according to one’s comfort. A standard-setting is not comfortable for everyone and poor ergonomics could lead to serious back injuries and strain on the body overall.

Office setting

Cubicles and cabins are the desires of many of the employees working in that organization. But for someone with a fear of closed spaces, this setting could be a place of increased palpitations and anxiety.

Communication

Checking and responding to your daily e-mails bring increased tension, anxiety, fear, etc. among other things. Employees often think hard about how and what to include in the body of the e-mail leading to pressure on the brain causing headaches.

Every office setup is different and there could be other common things in the office that could be harmful in ways never imagined or thought of. Make sure that you’re aware of those and think about the solutions to mitigate the effect of such office ‘dangers.’