Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between a person and their environment. Ergonomic techniques evaluate people's exposures to postures, forces from repetitive movement and muscle activities that have been shown to contribute to Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI's).

Proper ergonomically designed office furniture and equipment consider the relationship between a person's postures, discomfort, and individual and workplace risk factors.

Ergonomic considerations should be a critical focus when planning your office space. The absence of a properly produced ergonomic product can be detrimental and its negative effects very costly. To insure that the work environment doesn't contribute to the stress and ultimate injury of your employees, try not to neglect any of the following products:


Ergonomic Seating

Improper posture is one of the leading causes of back pain in the United States. Back pain is a significant contributor to absenteeism and lost productivity. Poorly designed, outdated seating places strain on the back and neck due in part to constant nerve pressure and spinal malalignment. For staffers who spend the majority of their day seated there are several inexpensive ergonomically built seating lines in today's marketplace.


Ergonomic Computer Accessories

Ergonomic Keyboard Trays, ergonomic wrist pads, ergonomic foot rests, and monitor lifts are all designed to alleviate eyestrain, back strain, and wrist injury associated with continuous computer usage.


Ergonomic Lighting

Sufficient ambient and direct lighting is required to provide illumination and shadow elimination. Often ceiling fixtures alone do not provide an ergonomic and adequate light source, necessitating additional task lighting and thereby decreasing eyestrain and nervous fatigue.


Trick: Job stress injuries and related lawsuits are on the rise. Providing your workforce with the above accessories can help to greatly diminish company culpability. Understanding proper ergonomics is a good place to start.

We suggest reading the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) for computer users, to examine the ergonomic compliance of your workspace. Please note: this file is in the Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF). If you require the latest version of Acrobat Reader to view this report, download a free copy from Adobe.

Trick: If budget is a factor (when isn't budget a factor), find some other way to cut costs. For instance consider the purchase of high quality, pre-utilized seating and systems from a company like cubicles.com. Your lawyers, disability plan provider and staffers will love you for it!

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