serafine@ergoarts.net
650-224-7294
Blog
Do you wag your wrist while mousing? How do you use your computer mouse?
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June 22, 2022
How many hours a day are you using your computer these days? Typically when I ask those I evaluate I hear 6-10 hours a day! That is a lot of computer use. A lot of upper body usage.Therefore it is important to keep in mind how to use your mouse using neutral posture principles to keep your upper body, including your hands and wrists happy and healthy. I would say that about 90% of the people I have evaluated use ... read more |
Hybrid Work: Is your company considering transiting to a Hybrid Work model?
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March 10, 2022
As workplaces start to reopen, organizations are finding that their workforce is not keen to give up remote work.Are there concerns on how this is going to work? Do you wonder how to retain employees? Here are things to consider that will help you retain employees, and keep them physically healthy. BEFORE deciding on what your company wants to do when it comes to structuring hybrid work model, it is ... read more |
Ergonomics is good for people and great for business
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November 3, 2021
Health and wellness are vital to you and your staff, ergonomics is vital to health and wellness• Creating optimal work stations • Teaching healthy body mechanics • Training stretch routines The statistics behind Ergonomics (or why you should care): A compilation of 5 studies showed that implementation of an ergonomics program: • ... read more |
I don’t need a professional ergonomist. I can just buy this keyboard and it will solve my problem …. but will it?
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August 3, 2021
Get a different perspective by having a trained professional look at your work area vs. purchasing a product…..a big picture view. This helps to bring clarity to your whole work area and helps your company save money.Ergonomics utilizes the science of designing a job environment to fit the worker, instead of expecting the worker to fit the job. Tasks, tools, equipment, and workplace layouts are ... read more |
Ergonomics is a whole picture experience. It is not … just new equipment …
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June 30, 2021
Being an ergonomic professional, I meet and experience a wide range of people day to day. I work with a variety of people who have different workplace needs and time schedules. Ergonomics is the science of fitting the work environment to the employee, (to prevent and resolve injuries). This way employees do not sustain injuries due to an ill-fitting workplace setup. Works stations are usually generic until we ... read more |
Ergo Tip: Is Standing a Good Solution for Office Workers?
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February 3, 2020
A study of 7,300 workers finds those who primarily stood were twice as likely as those who primarily sat to suffer from heart disease during a 12-year period.Sandy Smith | Aug 18, 2017 “A combination of sitting, standing and moving on the job is likely to have the greatest benefits for heart health,” says Smith. “Workplaces need to apply this message not just to workers who predominantly sit, ... read more |
Ergo Tip: Eye Care Reminders
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January 27, 2020
Keep all screens clean and avoid working whilethere is glare on the screen Here is a quick check. Turn off your computer. Do you see any reflections left on the screen? Did you see the window behind you or the bright ceiling light? If so, your computer is causing glare. Turn the screen away from those reflections. Remember to take eye-rest breaks even when set up optimally. Use the 20-20-20 Rule. Every ... read more |
Follow the link to an article I wrote in Ceramic Monthly: Do you know where your elbows are in space while working?
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January 3, 2020
This combines my love for ceramics/sculpture and ergonomics.
Check it out at this link:
Originally published in March 2019 issue of Ceramics Monthly, pages 24-25. http://www.ceramicsmonthly.org . Copyright, The American Ceramic Society. Reprinted with permission. read more |
See the article I wrote on neutral spine and creating comfortable in Feb. 2018 issue of Ceramics Monthly.
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January 24, 2018
This combines my love for ceramics/sculpture and ergonomics.Check it out at this link: https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/ceramics-monthly/ceramic-art-and-artists/ceramic-artists/clay-culture-creating-comfortably/# Originally published in February 2018 issue of Ceramics Monthly, pages 24-25. http://www.ceramicsmonthly.org . Copyright, The American Ceramic ... read more |
Why I Do What I Do, and What’s In It For You Too
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January 24, 2017
My twisty- turny journey to doing the work I love involved numerous careers, multiple colleges, and both coasts.I have been a professional ergonomist for 17 years and would love the opportunity to help you and your employees create healthy and productive habits within your work environment. I can honestly say that not once as I child did I stand up in class and say “I want to be an ergonomist ... read more |
Working With Your Chair, Not Against It
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March 22, 2016
One of the most frequent complaints I hear from people I am doing an ergonomics assessment for is how horrible their chair is. It’s uncomfortable, they’ve tried using a pillow, using a blanket, doing odd things with tape, and yet no matter what they try, they’re still experiencing discomfort, sometimes major discomfort such as the inability to get out of the chair without back pain. Granted, sometimes ... read more |
History of CA Ergonomic Standard
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June 16, 2009
http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/5110.html read more |
My Favorite Lumbar Support
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June 8, 2009
Angel Sales PosturePro Lumbar Support is by far my favorite lumbar support. I use this in my car. It stays in place (my old lumbar support fell out of my car, was lost, and then I found out they don’t make it anymore) therefore there is no adjustment needed every time one gets in and out of their car. It also works particularly well for persons who are on the shorter side of the pendulum who have chairs that ... read more |
ergodex
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May 19, 2009
Imagine being able to arrange the keys (from a keyboard) on a surface in any order any combination that works for you. This has value for persons who do alot of key commands, like CAD and graphics people, who need to use a few keys in combination and the rest of their tasks would be utilizing an input device (in this application probably a Wacom Tablet would work well)The best way to use a product like this is to use ... read more |
Apollo 5-95 Sit/Stand
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April 20, 2009
A product by Dolphin Point MarketingI have not seen this product being demoed but it looks like it incorporates allot of fabulous ideas! Fits a wide range of users, sitting or standing. Do not know how easy it is to adjust since I haven’t tried it, but it doesn’t look very complicated to operate. San Francisco Bay Area Ergonomist Serafine Janice Lilien, ergoarts Call me directly at: 650-224-7294 ... read more |
CRI Ergo Focus Group
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February 19, 2009
Yesterday CRI held a focus group in their San Francisco Office.There were a few people from Herman Miller present. Herman Miller makes the now famous Aeron chair that is in so many movies as well as offices and is somewhat of a status symbol. Well, they have come up with a new chair the Embody Chair. I got a chance to sit in this new chair and it doesn’t fit me. I am 6′ tall ... read more |
Recommending Ergonomic Products
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February 12, 2009
People keep asking me to come up with a list of “ergonomic” products that I like and that I recommend to my clients. Here are some of my concerns:One needs to keep in mind that thinking you need to purchase a new chair to help your back issue may not be the correct direction. Maybe you are keying too high and really need to lower your keying surface, then you can sit back in your current chair and really ... read more |
Technology Misuse, Overuse Can Hurt
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February 10, 2009
I was interviewed for the article Technology Misuse, Overuse Can Hurt by Dr. Mildred L. Culp.Serafine Lilien, ergonomist at ergoarts.net, conducts ergonomic assessments evolving from her overuse of technology. As a graphic designer, she’d spend 70 percent to 80 percent of her 8- to-12-hour workdays using a mouse and hitting the space bar. Carpal tunnel syndrome, diagnosed in 1992, is still with ... read more |
Office Chairs
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February 9, 2009
Tim Ferriss who wrote the 4-Hour Work Week, did a great review and some good research on Finding the Perfect Office Chair.As an ergonomist who works every day with how people sit and work comfortably, and people who experience pain from it, I was fascinated with his process. After consulting Twitter and trying things on his own, he decided to purchase a Herman Miller Aeron chair . Even though I’m financially ... read more |
Switch Mouse by Humanscale
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November 10, 2008
A new mouse came out on the market a few months back. It is made by Humanscale and it is called the Switch Mouse. As an ergonomist who has performed over 7000 ergonomic assessments, I find this to be the best mouse out on the market currently. It solves so many of the common mousing problems that I see out there. Here are a few selected problems and how the Switch Mouse fixes them. One website I checked had the retail ... read more |
