uGoGirlFriday

on mandatory computer breaks policies

My brother, who looks like he’s getting obese by the hour, is currently on the hunt for the best diet pills. I told him that he need not spend tons of money in weight loss pills.

The ultimate key to trimming down one’s waistline and having a good health in general is a balanced diet and proper, regular exercise. Everyone knows that. Unfortunately, people are just too lazy to get off their computer chairs and to even just get a glass of water or have a breath of fresh air. Tsk tsk…

I think policies like the counter RSI policy in Netherlands (read more information below) wherein, according to my boss, their computer promptly goes on screen saver mode for 10 minutes so that the employees will stop working and get enough rest and have them walk around for awhile, should be implemented everywhere. Else there will be a huge increase of health problems soon.

“In the Netherlands, for example, a country where much attention is paid to this disorder, it is addressed with the term RSI, which is defined as injury to the upper limbs (hands, wrists, neck and shoulders) and is caused by: work pressures, working hours, ways of working, work station and working posture. According to a national survey conducted by the Dutch Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, RSI is the number one work-related disease in the Netherlands: 20% of employees suffer from regular and enduring RSI complaints (Arbomonitor, November 2000). In response to these concerns, organisations in the Netherlands are required by law to have someone be responsible for ergonomics and RSI, but the approach differs in each organisation. Labour legislation prescribes that workers take a 10-minute break from working in front of the screen once every 2 hours.”