Worksite Wellness 

The Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Services (EOHSS) was established to assist the University in providing a safe and healthy working and learning environment for employees and students.

An area of expertise within EOHSS is ergonomics. Ergonomics is the science of fitting jobs to workers by considering job requirements and employees’ physical and mental capacities. It is the science of ergonomics that is used to appropriately design workstations. When workstations, furniture and equipment are not ergonomically designed, you may be subject to a number of related health problems called musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

Some of the more common MSDs include back, shoulder and upper body extremity injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis or tennis elbow. Symptoms of MSDs include pain and swelling, numbness and tingling, loss of strength and reduced range of motion in the affected area. Some risk factors for experiencing MSDs are repetitive motions and tasks or lifting and twisting. These are present in computer use and patient handling, or physical work such as drilling, pushing and pulling.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are among the most prevalent lost time injuries in almost every industry.

The University is committed to your safety in the workplace. We encourage you to visit the EOHSS website at http://www2.umdnj.edu/eohssweb/eohss.htm for more information on the services it provides to the University community.