ERGONOMICS AWARENESS!!

I want to share something with you this morning. I am a nursing mother of a 6 months old baby.

At night, I usually breastfeed my baby sitting on the bed with my back on the wall supported by a pillow as I have always done for all of my other children. However, the thing is that everything has an expiration date and I discovered that our foam has probably started drawing close to its expiration date (Most people do not know that for best results, a mattress should be replaced within 7 - 10 years of usage). I noticed that the mattress would sink in a bit after about an hour of breastfeeding at night. Then I would bend to the side.

Months after delivery, I noticed a certain pain on my back which I ignored because it would go away after I walk around in the day but come back in the morning. Not every morning but most mornings.

 I ignored this pain until Friday, 16th of August, 2019. I woke up with a sharp pain on the left side of my upper back. It was so painful that it just couldn't be ignored but I had to go to work. When I got back that day I told myself that I was not going to be sitting on the bed to breastfeed any longer but it was too late as by Saturday the pain became more intense. I spoke with my Pharmacist who recommended a drug which I took at night but by Sunday morning, the pain had moved from my back to my side which was very close to my heart so by this time I was breathing with my mouth open. I got to my doctor and he said that the drug I was taking was OK but he would recommend something stronger. I took that but the pain wasn't going away. On Monday, He referred me to a doctor at FMC Ebutte Metta. She asked me to go for an x-ray to determine if a disc had shifted and in the mean time, she recommended a muscle relaxant. I got the Pharmacy and bought it. I took it on Monday night and by Tuesday morning, the pain substantially reduced but I was feeling light headed. I complained to my husband who said that I should eat very well before I take the muscle relaxant that morning. I ate and took the drug. I got to work on Tuesday feeling light headed and dizzy. A colleague said that I should just nap for a bit which I did for about an hour.

 When I woke up, that's when it happened!

I had a panic attack and was rushed to a nearby hospital where it was discovered that the muscle relaxant was expired and had to be immediately flushed out of my system.!!

Now, why am I telling you this long story?

These are series of events that might have taken my life at the end if immediate action wasn't taken.

Most times, ergonomic issues look very little but can take away so much after a while.

Are you using the right chair, ladder, table, PPE, or SCREEN for that your day to day activities?

Do you have in place screen guard glasses for your staff staring at a screen all day? Have you conducted an ergonomic training for your staff to let them know how deadly ergonomic negligence can be?

An intelligent lawyer armed with the right information who his/her client loses his sight, limb, or posture due to these negligence can shut your business down for good.

Ergonomic issues easily ignored look and sound very little don't let them take away so much from you.

Think it can't be you? Visit an Orthopedic surgeon today. You will be amazed at how so little has crippled so many today!!

Thanks.. ??