Work hard, don’t die hard

The air around you
Occupational hazard: ASTHMA
Researchers in a Spanish study found health-care workers were at increased risk of developing asthma due to aerosol medicines and the powder on latex surgical gloves.

And dust and mould in many offices can also cause asthma, warns Dr Jonathan Parsons, an assistant professor of medicine at Ohio State University in the US.

FIX IT: keep your office dust-free and make sure the ventilation system isn’t blocked

Hectic travel schedule
Occupational hazard: DEPRESSION
In a review of more than 500 studies, published in The Lancet, frequent travellers were more prone to psychotic episodes and mood disorders.

“Travelling messes up your internal clock and social isolation occurs,” says psychologist Dr Jonathan Bricker.

FIX IT: do 30 minutes of cardio before and after a flight. Exercise reduces depression symptoms by half, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine revealed.

Driving a desk all day
Occupational hazard: DEEP-VEIN THROMBOSIS
A study by the Medical Institute of New Zealand found 34 per cent of those who had clots in their legs or lungs were seated at work. Sitting prevents muscles massaging your veins, reducing bloodflow, which can cause clotting.

FIX IT: do a lap around the office every two hours. Studies have shown taking a walk can boost brainpower.

You’ll also have a real excuse to nip upstairs to see that blonde in accounts

A womanly touch
Occupational hazard: SUPERBUGS
Researchers at Arizona State University found that women’s desks had twice as much bacteria as men’s and that one-in-15 of all desks are a breeding ground for the methicillin-resistant superbug Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

“Just touching a desk tainted with MRSA can cause infection,” warns lead researcher Dr Charles Gerba.

FIX IT: clean and disinfect your desk weekly. It will kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria.

Gabbing on the phone
Occupational hazard: SHOULDER PAIN
Sore shoulders plague 46 per cent of office workers, claims a study in the European Spine Journal.

“Pain at the base of your neck means you lean in to read your screen; pain on the side of your neck means you tilt your head to hold the phone,” reveals Cornell University researcher Dr Alan Hedge.

FIX IT: position your computer screen at eye level, about an arm’s length from your eyes. And try a wireless headset.