I've heard about this rule elsewhere over the years, but came across it again while doing some research for a current ergonomics project that we are doing. Often the 20-20-20 rule is applied to office ergonomics for computer users, and suggests that every 20 minutes, you should look at a point 20 feet away for 20 seconds to give your eyes a break from the focus on the computer monitor.
However, this rule comes in handy for many different occupations, such as cake decorators (this project has a little bit of a sweet tooth to it!) and people who assemble parts. As I've come to learn, cake decorating is a very detail oriented task (which luckily, I had an idea of thanks to watching all of those episodes of Ace of Cakes on the Food Network.) Cake decorators in larger commercial bakeries spend significant amounts of time on detail work, which can be related to neck strain as well as upper extremity complaints (hand, wrist, forearm, and shoulder). Taking advantage of the 20-20-20 rule provides cake decorators a chance to look up and look away from the cake, giving time to stretch their neck and shoulder girdle musculature as well as relax and stretch out their arms to relieve the muscle tension related to detailed work on the cakes.
For cake decorators and parts assemblers, using a simple timer or stop watch set to go off at 20 minute intervals can provide an easy reminder to stop and take a break. For those of us who are chair bound dealing with a keyboard and computer monitor, there are some freeware choices that allow us to remember to take a break such as EyeDefender and Workrave.
If you are interested in more information about how and why your employees should put the 20-20-20 rule into practice or you have other ergonomic questions, drop me an e-mail at quin@biokineticsllc.com or give us a call at (732) 741-5085.
No comments:
Post a Comment