Supervisor Tips: Back Basics for a Healthy Office

Fact Sheet: "Back Basics" (pdf)
Print and share this fact sheet with office staff.

Assess Your Office:

• Do employees in your office sit for hours at a time without a stretch or exercise break?
• Do staff members move heavy boxes, office furniture or equipment without help?
• Is your office organized so that materials used most often are stored at waist height, eliminating the need for long reaches and awkward postures?
• Has any staff experienced back injury on the job in the last year?

Suggestions for Action:

• Print "Back Basics" and share copies with staff.
• Involve staff members in evaluating office files, worktables, shelves, and their own workspaces to find ways they might be reorganized to promote healthy work postures. Encourage innovation and share solutions
that work.

• Encourage staff members to vary their work routine to avoid sitting or standing continuously for long hours. For example, break up hours of word processing with photocopying, filing, and stretch breaks. While this may seem less efficient at first, it will help staff feel better and work more productively.
• Don't allow office staff to move heavy boxes or office equipment without help. Set up a "buddy" system for heavy lifting.
• Post a "THINK before you lift! Do you need help?" sign in storeroom.
• Make sure that staff understands the safest way to perform lifting and filing tasks. Organize a back safety class or video, if needed, for staff members to learn and practice safe body mechanics. See "Healthy Office Resource Guide" for available campus resources.
• Identify, prioritize, and budget for equipment purchases that may help prevent back problems. Accessories such as document holders or footstools are inexpensive and can save a lot of wear and tear on shoulders, necks and backs. Provide carts and/or dollies for moving boxes. Make sure step stools and ladders are available and in good condition.
• Make sure that staff members know how to adjust their chairs and provide firm lower back support. Different chairs work better for different people. Swapping chairs among staff members for a better fit may be a workable alternative to buying new ones. Back support pillows are another possible low cost solution.
• Encourage employees with former back injuries or chronic back pain to attend the two-session workshop "Back Talk." Offer them the opportunity to take lunch after class as an extra incentive and to show your support for their health.
• Promote fitness activities among staff members by sharing information about the Health*Matters noontime Walking Group or RSF exercise programs on campus. Find out if there is an interest for organizing a fitness or exercise class in your department, with the help of Cal FIT. See "Healthy Office Resource Guide" for available campus resources.
• Document training sessions you have held or improvements you have made in the office. Keep your department's safety committee or department safety coordinator updated on your activities.

Action Plan
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