In conjunction with MMC Group HSE Day, Malakoff Corporation Berhad (Malakoff)’s Group HSE organised Health Talks on “Ergonomics” and “Chronic Diseases”, held at Malakoff Academy of Xcellence (“MAX”) on 24 October 2019. The talks were presented by Puan Nur Izzah binti Hashim, a Physiotherapist and Dato’ Dr. Haji Azar Azman bin Abu Bakar, Consultant Cardiologist & Physician, both from Hospital Pusrawi in front of KLHQ staff. The purpose of the talks was to create awareness on the importance of injury prevention at the workplace and to ensure a healthy workforce.

Puan Nur Izzah defined “Ergonomics” as the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment. Poor worksite design leads to fatigued, frustrated and hurting workers. She listed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, lower back problems, Musculoskeletal Disorders (“MSD”) and Raynaud Disease among the common ergonomics injuries at the workplace.

Although these injuries are commonly neglected as they are considered as low risks, the diseases could affect ones’ personal and work life. For example, long term exposure to poor posture and workstation set up could result in MSD, which can lead to muscle, nerve, blood vessel, ligament and tendon problems.

As a precautionary measure, she parted a few tips to minimise the risk of ergonomics related diseases. “It is recommended to have 5-minute breaks every 30 minutes, where you could perform some stretching exercises to prevent muscle fatigue, take a brisk walk and adjust your footrest, mouse and monitor in the right position,” she explained.

The second part of the session was a talk on “Chronic Diseases” by Dato’ Dr. Azar. According to him, a chronic condition or disease is a human health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Among the most common chronic diseases in Malaysia are heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. Although it is a known fact that these diseases are common causes of deaths in Malaysia, he highlighted that people tend to ignore the prevention steps to avoid it from happening.

“High blood pressure has long been recognised as a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Studies report a positive association between hypertension and insulin resistance. When patients have both hypertension and diabetes, which is a common combination, their risk for getting cardiovascular disease doubles”, he said. He also urged smokers to quit smoking as it can lead to stroke and coronary diseases.

Last but not least, he reminded everyone to be responsible of their health by maintaining an ideal weight, eating a balanced and healthy diet, and exercising regularly.