Health Hazards Faced by Teachers | Godrej Interio

HEALTH HAZARDS FACED BY TEACHERS IN THE INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Health problems faced by teachers

Factors causing pain issues

1. Long working hours

2. Class sizes

3. Health issues arising out of work

4. Break patterns while at work

5. Gadget usage

ABSTRACT

For generations, children have looked up to teachers. For some, it was the English teacher who always encouraged them to write great stories; for others it was a sports teacher who helped them ace the track. Even as adults, people credit their teachers with shaping some crucial life choices. Indeed, teachers make great role models.

But being an idol is hard work that requires hours of pouring over books, doing groundwork, travelling, practicing and working long hours. As the education system evolves across borders and education media, the responsibilities of teachers also keep growing. Not only do they have to upgrade their knowledge regularly but also adapt to the increasing use of technology. Apart from taking lectures, a teacher’s expertise is essential for co-curricular activities as well. Additionally, the nature of their job doesn’t allow them to stay away from gadgets or take breaks, posing some challenges to their health.

To get to the bottom of these challenges, the Workspace and Ergonomic research cell of Godrej Interio conducted a study to understand their day at work, the nature of tasks and the effect of these on their health. With an objective to help them lead a healthy life, we analyzed a teacher’s hectic day on

the job and the environment they work in. As teachers are the key resource for education ecosystem, our aim was to help educational institutions take good care of them.

Revealing the problems that go unaccounted, our study brought to light that as many as 82% of teachers suffer from work-related ailment. The top three prevalent areas of pain that got identified were allergies caused due to chalk powder or closed environment, back pain and shoulder pain. These health issues can be attributed to the nature of their work, increasing use of technology and elements of their physical space they work out of.

This scenario demonstrates that the modern and evolved education system, despite its many advantages, is also increasing the burden on teachers and creating unprecedented health hazards. Making teachers and educational stakeholders aware of the health risks they are facing due to various job tasks involved, providing with right infrastructure and ergonomic solutions and educating them about the behavioral modification they have to undergo will help them in the long run. So, all in all a combination of preemptive measures, greater awareness and correct postural inputs will help educational institutes to mitigate risks to teacher’s health.

INTRODUCTION

Teachers are the pillars of any nation; they play a crucial role in shaping its society. In an ideal society, teachers are accorded immense respect. Being the pillars of a strong education system, they are tasked with determining social values, imparting knowledge and inducing moral development.

The education system in India is evolving. The traditional method of using chalk and a black board is being replaced with gadgets. Learn while having fun is the strategy and ipads are the new notebooks. Our education system is going through a 360-degree change. Teacher today is more a facilitator than a source of knowledge. Certainly, the evolved education system, paired with technology makes communication efficient and effective, learning more engaging. This need to keep students engaged and facilitate their learning better has resulted in a lot of burden amongst teachers.

Teachers across educational institutes are facing ergonomic and occupational health problems caused by the nature of the work coupled with the increasing use of technology. With an objective to find out the physical, psychological, ergonomic, and task-specific occupational health hazards among teachers in schools/colleges of India, Godrej Interio conducted a study. We studied a teacher’s day at work, their job task to understand the health hazards faced by them.

Our study covered over 100 schools, colleges and universities across the cities like Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata. We surveyed over 600 teachers with varied years of experience and belonging to a mix of government, private and government-aided institutes.

HEALTH PROBLEMS FACED BY TEACHERS

Much like other professions, teaching jobs also cause physical and mental stress. Teachers bear with health problems ranging from discomfort, minor aches and pains, to more serious medical conditions like severe strain on their voice and mental disorders. These problems compel them to take time off from work and sometimes even require medical treatment.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are one of the most common and serious occupational health hazards in the teaching profession. Although long neglected, recently MSD has garnered due attention. By definition, MSDs are a wide range of inflammatory and degenerative conditions that affect one’s muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, nerves, bones, and the localized blood circulation system. The root cause of these disorders may be work tasks and effects of the immediate environment in which work is carried out.

Among teachers, it was found that 82% suffer from some form of MSD, 79% have multiple pain issues and 45% have been suffering from chronic pain for the past year or more. Our study revealed that teachers are prone to suffer MSDs related to back, neck, upper back, shoulder, knee, leg and allergies. It also discovered the following:

72% of teachers suffered from back pain due to minimal breaks, awkward postures and

bending their back during lectures. 26% bent for more than 4 hours a day during lectures. This could be one of the reasons why teachers largely suffer from back pain

65% suffered from shoulder pain due to uncomfortable postures that were adopted while teaching. Using display charts or projectors also lead to awkward shoulder, upper back and neck postures. 33% of teachers said that they were forced to adopt awkward shoulder and neck postures during lectures when they point out towards white board or display material which is often not kept at an appropriate height.

63% suffered from neck pain due to activities like correcting sheets, pulling out worksheets and working on teaching material. Our study also revealed that 28 % bent their neck for more than 4 hours a day while doing the above-stated activities.

47% suffered from knee and leg pain due to standing for long hours. Our study revealed that 22% of teachers were found to be standing for more than 5 hours a day while 57% sat for only 1 hour a day. This indicates that teachers spent most of their day standing and are exposed to knee pain.

89% lifted heavy books for more than 2 hours a day. This activity adds to strain on their upper extremities and upper and lower back.

30% of teachers wrote for more than 4 hours a day which had a direct impact on their wrist and finger pain.

FACTORS CAUSING PAIN ISSUES:

1. LONG WORKING HOURS:

The number and duration of classes per day contribute to long working hours in a teacher’s day and is leading to various health problems like backache, knee pain, leg pain, and allergies.

A teacher’s work requires him / her to stand for a lot of time in the day. It was observed that 65% of teachers take classes for 1 hour and 15% of teachers take classes for 2 hours at a stretch. This number shows that teachers end up standing and teaching for 1-2 hours at a stretch without any breaks. To add to this, they take a minimum of 4 lectures per day, thereby standing for six plus long hours.

Along with standing while teaching, teachers also indulge in actions like writing on boards and pointing to things while teaching. This routine imposes strain and a load on their lower limbs, shoulders and back.

Apart from the teaching, teachers have the responsibility of working on course material, paper correction, etc, as a result of which they end up spending several hours at work. It was found that 61.2% of teachers worked for 7-9 hours a day and about 10% of them worked for more than 10 hours every day. The long working hours add to a teacher’s health and wellbeing.

2. CLASS SIZES:

Our study revealed that 19% of teachers had as many as 60 students in a class and 10% had more than 80 students in a class. These numbers indicate that teachers address a mass of students at once and are expected to ensure that every student learns and participates in class. In the absence of a mic or sound system, this responsibility forces teachers to put pressure on their vocal cords, resulting in voice issues and hoarseness. 24% suffered from voice issues due to lecturing and monitoring students without mic systems. Another reason for these issues was addressing more students in classroom than permitted.

3. HEALTH ISSUES ARISING OUT OF WORK

During lectures, a teacher’s primary tasks involve writing on the black board or white board and communicating lessons. While going about their lessons, a considerable amount of chalk powder is released in the air, causing allergies and breathing problems in teachers and students sitting close to them. Additionally, closed classrooms have poor ventilation. The lack of circulation of fresh air also leads to multiple allergies.

Our interaction with the teachers on the above mentioned issues revealed that 75% of teachers suffered from allergies, they endured

cold and cough due to chalk powder in classroom’s environment. 43% suffered from breathing problems due to certain allergies and chalk powder.

4. BREAK PATTERNS WHILE AT WORK: A research conducted by the University of Southern California states that our brain uses some downtime to make important connections. These connections shape our identity and social behavior. It works on recalling personal memories, imagining the future, and developing a code of ethics. This is exactly the reason why we need to rest our brains, especially teachers.

Our study observed that 22% of teachers take a break every 3 hours or more. 10% take a break only once every 4 hours. However, a break once in 4 hours is too little and not recommended for smooth and active functioning of mind, body, and soul.

5. GADGET USAGE: Teachers have begun reorienting themselves and their students for the digital era. They are using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in classrooms to create a dynamic and proactive teaching-learning environment. ICT integration aims to improve the quality of education, accessibility, and cost-efficiency of the delivery of instructions to students.

Apart from teaching activities, technology has become a more wholesome part of teachers’ lives, as an increasing number of teaching professionals also use technology for personal reasons including entertainment. Here’s a look at the pattern of device usage:

However, what matters the most is the postures they adopt and the time they spend while using these gadgets.

22% of teachers were observed to have the neck bent while using smartphones or tablets resulting in neck pain followed by 30% who complained of upper back pain due to the same reason

34% were seen to adopt improper sitting posture while using desktops and laptops can lead to back pain

46% suffered from eye strain due to the increasing use of gadgets and exposure to smart boards in the classroom

44% suffered from headaches due to improper lights, excessive reading and use of gadgets

6. CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT: Exemplary educational organizations facilitate education through inspiring classrooms. These educational spaces have a direct impact on the wellbeing of both teachers and students. Moreover, a conducive and well-built classroom puts both teachers and students in the right mindset for lectures.

While studying the infrastructure of classrooms, we discovered the following:

24% of teachers thought noisy classrooms challenged their concentration during a lecture

34% said they were given fixed furniture to use in the classroom

26% said that improper lights affected their vision

24% said that the temperature regulation in classroom was poor, too low or too high temperature hindered their concentration

Inappropriate infrastructure can also have an impact on the health of the teachers. Having the right thermal environment along with ergonomic furniture can vastly improve the classroom experience by helping teachers communicate more comfortably, and also giving them job satisfaction.

DAMAGE TO HEALTH RESULTS IN…

Thanks to the increased responsibilities, new ways of teaching and demanding deadlines, teachers are experiencing their own unique work-related stress on a daily basis. We understand that there are several factors that are contributing to health issues faced by teachers.

We observed that 35% of teachers were found to have taken leaves for 1-3 days, followed by 8% who took leaves for 4-6 days to manage the pain caused by MSDs. These days add up and ultimately affect the productivity of educational organizations. When asked

about the remedial measures taken by them, we found that teachers used pain killers or ointments, massages and rest. It was also observed that majority of them were not aware of ergonomics.

More importantly, the detrimental effects of MSDs on teachers include an adverse impact on self-confidence and self-esteem. It also causes psychological stress. Hence, the problems associated with the teaching profession need to be addressed on priority. A teacher’s poor health can result in a chain reaction and affect multiple stakeholders

84% 26% 10% TEACHERS DID NOT EXERCISE 41-50 YEARS 31-40 YEARS REST OF THE AGE GROUP

DIDN’T HYDRATE THEMSELVES WELL TEACHERS WHO COMPLAINED OF PAIN WERE FEMALES

BATTLING MSD s IN TEACHING PROFESSION

In response to a changed system and new responsibilities, the challenges faced by teachers need to be addressed urgently. Here’s how we can empower teachers and fix the occupational health issues they face:

1. Provide Ergonomic Training: Teachers should be educated about ergonomic risks involved in their job. They should be trained to avoid uncomfortable postures and urged to follow certain rules while performing certain activities:

While writing on a board: The board should be at shoulder level; this will prevent shoulder and upper back pain. The board should be placed at a level that is comfortable enough for the teacher to write and students to see. Sliding and height adjustable boards should be used to write.

While standing and teaching for long hours: Teachers should keep shifting body weight from one leg to the other. They should take regular breaks from standing

While lifting weight: Books should be carried close to the body. Teachers should not use small joints like wrist and fingers to carry loads; larger joints are more capable of bearing weight. Instead of hardcopies, they should make use of e-books

2. Provide Conducive teaching environment: The black board days are soon fading away. Teaching using laptop / desktop, or a smart board is the new normal. However, increasing usage of these gadgets increases the risk to serious health hazards. However, the teachers can prevent themselves from falling prey to such hazards by ensuring they adopt correct postures.

Teachers should adjust the computer’s screen at the eye level to avoid shoulder and upper back pain. They should also use the furniture that supports their arms. A classroom’s desk and chairs should match the body dimension bracket. The furniture should make it easy for teachers to be mobile in classrooms. For e.g. Providing teachers with a height adjustable desk can suit her needs while she is seated in the class and at the same time while she is standing and teaching. A classroom’s furniture should be comfortable and include cushions so that teachers can relax during short breaks.

Moreover, the staffroom should have various areas like focused and collaborative zones that enables the teacher to work efficiently. A visually distinct and spacious staffroom should be designed to provide a clear break in format from the classrooms. Classrooms, libraries, labs, staffrooms and breakout zones

should have appropriate ventilation, noise levels, and regulated temperatures. Relaxing zones should be equipped with comfortable furniture.

3. Gadget usage guidelines: Teachers should be seated on appropriate chairs and desks and have sufficient armsupport while using desktops and laptops. Additionally, wrists and fingers should be in neutral posture while typing and feet should be flat on the ground. Mobile phones should be held at eye level and both arms should be close to the body. While making notes or reading, a teacher should hold the book at a height at which their neck is straight.

4. Eliminating occupational health hazards: While cleaning a blackboard with duster, it is commonly observed that a lot of chalk dust is released into the air. Some of which is largely inhaled by teachers, and sometimes, also by students who sit near the teacher. The chalk dust causes allergies and voice problems. To stay away from these problems, the educational institutes must switch to a classroom with a marker-whiteboard arrangement or use “non-dust” chalk. They should ensure availability of mic arrangement to avoid strain on the teacher’s voice. Drinking water in between lectures to avoid dryness of throat.

5. Follow a proper break pattern: Teachers should be advised to follow a break pattern while taking classes. In the interval of 30 mins, they should take break and stretch (if class lasts for more than 30 mins). Teachers should stay hydrated to avoid fatigue as it is very important for them to stay healthy. Not only will this benefit them but also help pass on similar advice and experience to students.

6. Destressing oneself: Develop healthy routine. Self-care can support teachers to overcome stress. They should gift themselves a break to exercise, meditate, go for a walk, write a journal, read, stretch and listen to music or audiobooks. They should experience the new with students and get rid of monotony. Trying something new with students from time to time is another way to destress.

Teachers are the backbone of our education system and play a vital role in advancing our society as a whole. Ever-evolving technology has improved many aspects of the teaching profession but has also had adverse effects on their health. The modern education system demands an enormous amount of work from teachers. It exposes them to a high risk of musculoskeletal disorders and occupational health hazards that need to be addressed. Combination of preemptive measures, greater awareness and correct postural inputs will help educational institutes to mitigate risks to teacher’s health.

Godrej Interio (GI) is India’s leading furniture brand in both the home and institutional segments. GI aims to transform spaces to create brighter homes and offices with aesthetic, functional, and technology-driven products that retain a special focus on health and ergonomics. GI’s product portfolio covers:

• B2B - Office Modular Furniture, Turnkey Projects, Healthcare Furniture, Lab Furniture, AV and Vending Solutions

• B2C - Home Furniture & Storage, Mattress, and Kitchens

GI is widely known for its comprehensive sustainability certifications for furniture products. Currently present in over 650 cities with 250 exclusive showrooms and 800 dealers, GI is one of the largest divisions of Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., part of the Godrej Group, one of India’s largest engineering and customer product groups.

More information is at https://www.godrejinterio.com/Godrejinterio/index.aspx

CONCLUSION ABOUT GODREJ INTERIO DISCLAIMER

This paper represents the opinions of the authors and is the product of professional research. This report has been prepared for the exclusive use and benefit of the addressee(s) and solely for the purpose for which it is provided. Unless we provide express prior written consent, no part of this report should be reproduced or distributed. While every attempt is made to ensure that the information contained in this document is true to its best. However, Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., its employees, representatives, affiliates or any of its divisions, etc. shall not be responsible for any reliance made on this paper or for any errors / omissions in information obtained from the source while preparing this paper.