When you do leave work you adjust the head rest in your car to support your back and neck properly and make sure your rear-view mirror is at the right place so you can see without turning your head awkwardly. Pulling in your driveway, you can't wait to kick off your safety shoes, slump back in your recliner and leave all the ergonomics behind. Until you notice the spatula with the backwards handle in your kitchen and the dog bowl sitting in its correct position holder. Ergonomics has followed you home.



Ergo Gardening

No longer just something to think about for factory and office workers, a growing number of companies has designed tools for daily life with ergonomic features. Lifewithease.com is a company that has tools for almost anything that needs to be done around the yard.

Each of these light-weight tools has a support arm so the arm and wrist can be held at an appropriate angle, a bicycle grip on the handle so you don't have to squeeze or grasp the handle with too small a circumference, and some even have extensions so you can do your work standing up and avoid back strain. They also have pruning shears designed with ratchet clips so the tool generates the power to cut, not the hand. Gardening is good for the soul, but now it's good for the body too.

Cooking Ergonomically

Pots, pans and utensils are usually designed with the food in mind, but a growing number of cookware specialists have started designing them for the ease of people as well. The pots and pans in Rachel Ray's line of cookware all have thick orange rounded foam handles to make their easier to hold and maneuver around the kitchen. Furi, the knife maker, has begun to tailor the handles of their knives as well to meet the demands of souse chefs and household cooks. A website called lifesolutionsplus.com carries a full like of kitchen aids to help people pour, chop, slice and stir in ways better for their hands and arms. For people with arthritis or repetitive motion injuries as well as people trying to prevent them, these products are a real life saver.

Pet Dynamics

Even Rover and Fluffy have a scientist looking out for them these days as we have learned its not just humans that have muscle and joint concerns. Wetnoz.com sells ergonomically sound dinner bowls, mats and toys for dogs and cats. The bowls are elevated and angled to promote better digestion. This can be important for larger dogs who are prone to stomach and intestinal problems. They also sell ergonomically designed toys for hours of safe and fun play.

As we continue to understand how our bodies must be taken care of in order to live longer, healthier lives, we find the science of ergonomics more immersed than ever into the products we purchase. Ergonomics is not just for workers anymore.