ESL Podcast 660 - Work-Related Injuries
seminar - conference; workshop; a class where many people gather to learn about and discuss a particular topic
Would you like to attend this seminar on direct sales techniques?
work-related injury - painful damage of part of one's body caused by an activity one performs on one's job
The people who work at this factory have too many work-related injuries. We need to get safer machines.
to rethink - to reconsider or change one's opinion or belief; to change one's mind about something
With the economic downturn, we're rethinking our plans to buy a house.
workspace - the area one works, often a desk, cubicle, or office
Zhao decorated his workspace with some photographs of his family and a few potted plants.
heavy lifting - the activity of using one's body to raise objects that weigh a lot from the floor or another surface, usually to move them somewhere else
When they moved, they hired a company to help them with the heavy lifting.
to slouch - to sit or stand so that one's back, shoulders, and neck curve forward slightly, making one appear shorter than one actually is
Your backpack is so heavy it's making you slouch!
posture - they way one holds one's body while sitting or standing, especially referring to how straight the back and neck are
Fashion models need to have very good posture, even when wearing high- heeled shoes.
back - spine; vertebral column; the rear side of one's body between the shoulders and the buttocks (the part one sits on)
Jerome's back felt sore for a week after going skiing for the first time.
to squint - to partially close one's eyes when looking at something, usually because one cannot see well and wants to be able to see something better
If you have to squint to see big signs like that, you should probably get an eye exam.
to suffer from - to have pain caused by something; to be a victim of something
How long have you been suffering from a sore knee?
eye strain - the feeling of weak, tired, or irritated eyes caused by using one's eyes too much, especially for reading or for looking at a computer screen
Doctors recommend avoiding eye strain by looking away from your computer screen every few minutes to take a break.
no wonder - a phrase used to show that the reason for something is very obvious or apparent
No wonder your foot hurts! These shoes are old and worn.
repetitive motion - a movement that one makes over and over again; a movement that one makes many times in a certain period of time
Factory jobs used to require a lot of repetitive motion, but now those processes have been automated and robots do that work.
elbow - the joint in one's arm between one's shoulder and wrist; the part of one's body that allows one to bend one's arm
Padma accidentally knocked the vase off the table when she hit it with her elbow as she walked by.
ergonomics - the study of how changes in the position of the human body can help people work better and have fewer injuries, especially when it involves studying and improving the design of equipment and seating
He works in ergonomics and is trying to design a computer keyboard that doesn't hurt typists' wrists.
to prevent - to stop something from happening; to take some action that doesn't let something else happen as it normally would
One of the best ways to prevent the common cold is to wash your hands before eating.
to recover from - to feel better after an illness or injury; for one's health or mood to improve
How long did it take you to recover from your shoulder injury?
count me in - a phrase used to show that one wants to participate in what another person has described, or that one wants to accept another person's invitation
Bhawna and I are going to the concert tonight. Do you want to come with us?
Count me in!