Over the last few decades, the concept of ergonomics which revolves around the science of fitting the work to the specifics of employees has grown in importance due to the benefits that ergonomics offer to enterprises. However, SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) and home offices have yet to fully embrace ergonomics mainly due to cost factors. It is no secret that ergonomic office chairs and desks would cost more than other regular office furniture in furniture stores in Melbourne.
However, it is still possible to factor ergonomics into the workplace sufficiently without having to invest into ergonomic furniture albeit it may not be as effective as having actual ergonomic furniture, but it would be sufficient to keep employees physically healthy. This article provides some tips and trick towards being ergonomic without actually having ergonomically designed furniture and devices at the workplace.
Among other things that are critical towards establishing an ergonomic workspace is arrangement. It must be understood that ergonomics is about ‘fitting the workspace to accommodate the user’s physical attributes’ and thus arranging desk in a manner that ensures all frequently used items are within reach without the employee having to bend or stretch too far for these items.
Apart from that, depending on the tasks or type of work, there are many ways to adopt ergonomics – for example; if employees are tasked to type or enter data from printed documents, a 5 dollar document holder that is placed next to the monitor would ensure that the typist or the person doing data entry does not have to move their head much as they will only have to move their eyes and not their heads to refer to the document
Similarly, a head set should be used instead of craning the neck to hold the phone, if at all using the phone is a frequent thing. Ergonomic keyboards and pointing devices are also quite affordable and they go a long way towards preventing employees from developing MSD (Musculoskeletal Disorders) such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Even ergonomic mouse pads help ease the strain on the wrist as they provide extra wrist support which reduces wrist bending significantly and this also helps to reduce the level of strain on the entire arm
Employees could also add a pillow/ or small cushion to their regular office chairs to provide support for their lower back which is the main highlight of an ergonomic office chair.
The benefits of ergonomics is extensive as ergonomics is all about keeping employees comfortable during work and when employees are comfortable, they naturally become more efficient as they are able to focus on their tasks better. This in turn leads to higher productivity as output increases within the time period without having to increase manpower
Apart from that, research has placed a high correlation between ergonomically designed work environments and fewer sick days or absenteeism. Last, but not least, establishing an ergonomic work environment would also reduce the risk of businesses receiving citations from OSHA which could have a significant negative impact on the company’s image and bottom line.
Published by: Holy Minoza
