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Office Furniture Ergonomics For Worker Safety

by David Ross

It is imperative to select proper office furniture. Workers who toil at poorly designed, non-ergonomic equipment will likely experience aches and other discomforts that can prevent them from achieving their best. In fact, several studies suggest that employees who work on office furniture that is not ergonomically designed are more likely to experience pain that can cause an annual absence of at least several days.

When you go shopping for office furniture you want to limit your choices to ergonomically certified furniture only. An ergonomic chair will allow the user to make adjustments to the height, back, and arms to suit his body type. All of your employees should be able to fit the chair to their bodies to allow them to be comfortable all day long. Lumbar support is important to prevent back strain.

It is also important to make sure that you select reception desks that are at the right height for your workers and your equipment. Use common ergonomic tables to ensure that the height of the desks are correct. You will also want to make sure you purchase monitor risers that can be used to adjust the height of the monitor so that your workers will not experience back strain.

Ideally, a computer user should be able to look straight at their monitor without having to crouch or slump. As you adjust the monitor riser, make sure that the user is about one arm's length from the monitor. Also, their eyes should align with about the middle to the top three quarters of the screen.

The prevention of injuries on the job is not the only goal of ergonomics. Indeed, a worker utilizing ergonomic office furniture has an improved rate of efficiency, which enables him to achieve a higher productivity rate in a shorter time span. For instance, consider the annual savings of time for a worker who can file papers without getting up from his chair instead of having to rise and walk to a filing cabinet to store them.

When you choose the correct type of office furniture, you will discover that your employees perform better. They will suffer fewer work-related injuries which can cause pain and discomfort. Your employees will also be able to perform their work more efficiently. Fortunately, ergonomic office furniture is often no more expensive than traditional office furniture.

When you shop for office furniture, consider choosing ergonomic certified furniture. Office workers can miss several work days annually because of poorly designed furniture. An ergonomic chair has an adjustable height, back, and arms. Chairs should offer sufficient back-support, because low back injury is one of the most frequent injuries. Reception desks should have the correct height for your workers and equipments. To alleviate back strain, monitor risers, which purpose is to level user with the screen, should be put into consideration. Other than preventing work related injuries, ergonomic furniture enhances your worker's productivity. Not only they reduce injuries and pain, they also enable workers to complete their duties quicker.

Published January 14th, 2009

Filed in Business


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