Where Do You Spend More Hours Sitting: Your Car or Your Desk?
The average American commute is somewhere around 45 minutes a day. Over a year of working five-day weeks for 50 weeks a year, that adds up to 187.5 hours behind the wheel, the equivalent of over seven days! Millions of Americans go straight from their car to their desks, where they sit for up to eight hours per day. Between the commute and the job, that’s a lot of sitting.
To avoid arriving at work already fatigued, driving commuters should adjust the ergonomics of their car for the best fit possible. Being crunched into a too-small space is not only uncomfortable, but it’s less safe than sitting in a properly adjusted driver’s seat.
Working in office cubicles causes different stresses from working, say, on an oil rig. But that stress is significant, and can result in problems like obesity, coronary artery disease, and repetitive motion injuries. Repetitive strain injuries alone account for $20 billion per year in workers compensation payments. Fortunately, businesses can make life on the cube farm less stressful, even if the budget only allows for buying used cubicles and second-hand office furniture.
Though many desks cannot be raised or lowered for taller or shorter workers, many chairs can be adjusted to fit the desk. Shorter workers can be provided with foot rests to reduce back strain from sitting in a chair that’s too high. Taller workers can raise their computer monitor so it is at the correct height to prevent eye strain. All desk workers should get up at regular intervals and stretch to increase energy and decrease strain on the neck, back, and knees.
Between commuting and occupying a desk, American workers spend a lot of time sitting. Stress from this situation may be subtle, but it’s real and must be addressed to prevent health problems.
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Posted in Automotive News