Maximizing the ergonomic appeal of your workplace has innumerable benefits. The primary being an overall increase in production and efficiency of operations. First and foremost, ergonomics keep laborers safe. If laborers are working under hazardous conditions, they’re not only more prone to injury, they’re also less likely to be enthusiastic on the job, which lessens the likelihood of tasks being completed in full. So – what is ergonomics?

When talking about ergonomics in the workplace, we are talking about the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment. By establishing an ergonomics process in the workplace, you reduce the risk of CTD’s such as back injuries and carpal tunnel syndrome. To implement an ergonomics process, management must be completely committed to the process. They must also provide the necessary resources for success.

When it comes to injuries, outfitting the workplace with ergonomic equipment is a win-win situation. Both for the organization and the worker. In keeping your employees’ safety in mind, you’re protecting their well-being and maintaining your company’s efficiency. Without workers, productivity drops or comes to a standstill completely

Ensuring that a workplace is ergonomic also makes workers more comfortable. It’s extremely unlikely that all employees of a single organization share the same needs and preferences. That is why selecting equipment with ergonomic designs is a surefire way to make everyday tasks in the workplace more feasible for a wider range of laborers. Especially equipment that can be easily adjusted. It is also reducing the likelihood of musculoskeletal disorders caused by poor work posture and the unnecessary repetition of tasks.

Ergonomics in the Workplace

“In workstation design, an important consideration in specifying workstations is the degree of flexibility required in height adjustment. Incorrect working height is often responsible for extreme postures and motions at the workstation.”

Each item crafted by BUILT is designed to provide an ergonomic solution to your outdated or inefficient equipment.

Ensuring the ergonomic success of our products happens in a variety of ways. Offering height flexibility is one way to make the use of our equipment more comfortable and less physically demanding. All BUILT’s products can all be easily adjusted to best suit the individual needs of your workers.

BUILT also allows you to make your existing equipment more adjustable with products like our retrofit kit. Boasting a lifting capacity of 1,500 lb., this kit can be applied to a fixed-height base to make it customizable for each employee’s preferences.

Businesses that focus less on production but are still interested in making the workplace more ergonomic, consider our seating options. Easily portable, these ergonomic seats deliver the upright support needed to keep your mind alert and your body healthy. A study done by Ohio State University’s Spine Research Institute compared sitting and standing in the workplace to an upright leaning position. Their results are discussed below.

Ergonomic Seating
“Standing had the highest reports of discomfort, the most overall motion (theorized to be due to increasing discomfort), and the highest spinal loads. Sitters reported the least discomfort but also experienced the least amount of motion and higher spinal loads than leaning. While leaning subjects reported some initial lower extremity discomfort, they also had a balanced and sustainable activity level and the lowest spinal loads.”

Concluding the study, they suggest that the upright leaning position is a great alternative to the standing and sitting workstations. “Upright leaning offers a dynamic seating option that should be encouraged as it promotes a balanced amount of movement, reduces spinal loads, lowers muscle forces, and can be an essential part of healthy ergonomic workstation design.”

BUILT Systems products incorporate ergonomic features that make it easy for users to adjust our systems to fit their preferred work style. When companies protect their team members from physical strain and injury on the job, the benefits stack up.

Read more about ergonomics in the workplace on our blog post The Benefits of an Ergonomic Facility and how it will increase your ROI.


Sources:

Creative Partners Group. “How to Bring Ergonomics to the Factory Floor.” How To Bring Ergonomics To The Factory Floor | Ergonomics | IAC, www.iacindustries.com/get-started/ergonomics/how-to-bring-ergonomics-to-the-factory-floor.asp.

THE PERFECT POSTURE. Ohio State University Spine Research Institute, Oct. 2015.