It is Time For Employers to Accept Responsibility For Bad Posture at Work?

<p>Bryan Phillips is a successful mortgage broker working for a local bank in Dallas, Texas. Over the years, through excessive use of the computer and not paying any attention to his worsening posture, he has developed severe forward head posture. "The effects of bad posture are so insidious. Before I knew it, I was developing a hump", says Bryan.</p><p>Bryan is not alone. It is estimated that approximately 90% of people in the USA have some degree of forward head posture. A leading posture expert, Dr. Joe Ventura of Overland Park, KS, says that "With forward head posture, for every inch your head moves forward, the head gains ten pounds in weight. The muscles in your upper back and neck have to work harder to keep your chin from dropping forwards onto your chest. This places an enormous strain on your body. Vital lung capacity is reduced as much as thirty percent. Your gastrointestinal system is affected, particularly the large intestine."</p><p>So many of us are office bound and, so it would seem, permanently attached to our computers. This, combined with poor office ergonomics, is sometimes at the root of forward head posture. Occupational musculoskeletal injuries represent a pandemic problem in the United States and this has had an enormous effect on the quality of millions of peoples' lives every year.</p><p>Non-accidental injuries in the workplace - much of it posture related - costs the United States tens of billions of dollars each and every year. Poor body mechanics (such as slouching in an office chair), prolonged activity, repetitive motions, and fatigue are major contributors to these injuries. In 2006 in the United States, 357,160 cases of work-related musculoskeletal disorders resulted in lost workdays according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the same period, the yearly cost associated with common pain conditions and lost productivity was estimated at $61.2 billion.</p><p>Poor back posture at work is a major cause of back pain, workplace stress and repetitive strain injury. It results in lost time, reduced employee productivity, poor employee health, low morale, and ultimately higher costs.</p><p>The United Kingdom is so concerned about health and safety in the workplace, specifically pertaining to display screen equipment such as computer monitors, that they introduced the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 2002. In terms of these regulations, all employers have a duty to provide safe working conditions and a stress-free work environment for all staff, which includes the provision of information and training for employees about workplace posture and ergonomics.</p><p>Dr. Shawn Stipich, a chiropractor based in Dallas, Texas, notes that, "In many businesses their employees are their major assets. They spend a fortune in time and effort training their staff. It makes sound business sense to ensure that these assets are comfortable and able to perform at optimum efficiency. Then why is it that so many US corporations do not pay any attention to posture and ergonomics in the workplace when it is costing them billions of dollars every year?" Why, indeed?</p><p>Employers can only gain from investing in improving posture in the workplace. They will experience greater efficiency through improved employee morale, higher productivity, and less absenteeism, not to mention a reduction of risk pertaining to potential litigation from injured or stressed employees.</p><p>It does not have to cost a great deal of money to improve workplace posture and ergonomics. Employee education costs very little. Many chiropractors would be happy to talk on the subject for nothing. A few posture cushions could be kept in the office for employees to use during their break periods. They will relieve stress, improve blood circulation and revitalize employees.</p><p>"There is evidence to suggest that a corporation that actively promotes and facilitates a healthy workplace and proactively manages adverse health effects, experiences both a reduction in absenteeism and ill health and an increase in productivity," says Dr. Stipich.</p><p>Is it not time for American corporations to become more proactive in improving bad posture in the workplace? With the current state of the US economy, maybe this is the place to start our economic recovery.</p><p>Bernard Brown is the CEO of Posture Pal, the world's #1 posture support that is endorsed by some of the world's leading posture experts. Visit their web site now <a target="_new" href="http://www.PosturePal.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.PosturePal.com</a> to learn <a target="_new" href="http://www.posturepal.com/html/Guidelines_to_Improve_Posture.html" rel="nofollow">how to improve posture</a>.</p>

LED Garden Lights - Your Best Choice in Outdoor Lighting

<p>LED garden lights are at the cutting edge of landscape lighting technology and style. They are also becoming increasingly popular and have many benefits over traditional kinds of bulbs. Here are some reasons why they are your best bet when choosing outdoor lighting.</p><p>LED outdoor lights are rapidly becoming the standard for this kind of lighting. At first glance they are simply much more beautiful than traditional incandescent lights, which can be harsh and overpowering. LED's have a soft, almost other-worldly glow which can be quite striking. It is also possible to create many different kinds of moods using these lights. Colors and shapes are much more varied and interesting.</p><p>LED (light emitting diodes) bulbs are many times more efficient than regular bulbs, so they are much less expensive to run. There are estimates that say they might be eight to ten times cheaper to run. Their ability to run on less power leads to other advantages as well. Less energy generated means that the bulbs are not going to be very hot, which also means that they are much safer to have around. You can place them without having to worry if children or animals will come into contact with them.</p><p>Less energy generation also has a big environmental advantage. LED lights are going to be responsible for sending far less carbon emissions into the environment, so they are very green.</p><p>Another advantage that will save money in the long run is the long life that LED bulbs have. They burn steady and reliably but far longer than incandescent lights. Add to this the fact that you can now buy solar LED lights and you have an incredibly efficient lighting source. The only drawback is that you must place these lights in a place which receives lots of sunlight. They store this sunlight in small batteries placed within each lighting unit and use the energy to power the lights at night.</p><p>The more popular a product becomes, the more variety you will find, and this is true of outdoor LED lights. From the fanciful to the utilitarian and functional, you will find a light that gives you the effect you are after.</p><p>Efficient, beautiful to look at, economical and environmentally friendly, LED garden lights are the smartest choice you can make for your outdoor lighting needs.</p><p>To explore more about <a target="_new" href="http://gardenlightsguide.com/2009/03/led-garden-lights/" rel="nofollow">LED garden lights</a> and other kinds of exterior lighting, visit the <a target="_new" href="http://gardenlightsguide.com/" rel="nofollow">Garden Lights Guide</a>.</p>

A Clean Computer Registry is Always Important

<p>Having a clean registry is probably the most important maintenance routine you can perform on your computer. Most people don't even know what a registry is never mind what it actually does. The problem with most slow running PC's is that their registry is corrupt & this will slow the PC down over time. What anyone does in this situation is go out and pay a huge sum of money to buy a new computer.</p><p>Most of the time you don't actually have to purchase a new machine but this is not what we're told by sales reps of PC manufactures. They tell us that technology has moved on so we need new computers to keep up & if we don't, then our machines will run really slowly.</p><p>Part of this statement is true, technology has indeed moved on but there is no need to replace a machine you bought only a couple of years ago with a brand new spanking machine. Many will get a psychological lift when they get a new computer, they think they'll get loads more work done but this is not the case for the majority.</p><p>At the end of the day, you'll still work with the same spread sheets & Docs & maybe a few Presentation applications but that's it for the majority of workers. You only need to clean your registry & your machine will be running just the same way as when you first turned it on. To get the best registry clean possible you'll need to search the internet, there are literally hundreds of software applications which will clean your registry for you.</p><p>Many of these software programs even offer a free scan of your system so you can run it for free to see if indeed you really do need to clean your PC. Once you've found your top registry cleaner make sure you run it every month or so. By checking your PC regularly, you'll keep it in optimum condition & it will run like it was brand new.</p><p>If you'd like to find out more about the <a target="_new" href="http://www.topregistrycleaners.net/" rel="nofollow">top registry cleaners</a> online then why not visit our website at: <a target="_new" href="http://www.topregistrycleaners.net" rel="nofollow">http://www.topregistrycleaners.net</a></p>