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This article examines the discipline of ergonomics and how this relates to modern office furniture. With millions of pounds each year paid out in compensation claims, ergonomic office furniture is essential in making sure that workers are not exposed to the risk of strain injuries and are able to perform their work tasks as productively as possible.

What is ergonomics?

We can define ergonomics as the process of designing products to meet the needs of the user. This is important when looking at furniture, for the office in order to maintain a happy, healthy and productive workforce.

Ergonomic office furniture can include office chairs that are adjustable so that all staff can be comfortable and at the right height, monitors at the right height off the desk to encourage good posture and reduce eye strain, and suitable keyboards and mice to reduce the risk of RSI and other strains and aches. Appropriate lighting is also important, to ensure that there is enough light in the room, and to reduce the risk of people straining to see whilst they work, and to minimise headaches caused at work.

Why is ergonomic office furniture important?

The reasons why ergonomic office furniture is increasingly becoming more important:

Health and safety of workers - By equipping their workers with ergonomic furniture, companies can reduce the risk of liability and legal action resulting from employees suffering with repetitive strain injuries. It is estimated that there are currently around 5 million cases each year of such injury and these result in payouts amounting to billions of pounds.

With so many days lost to injury and ill health, ergonomic office furniture is just one of the ways in which you can make sure that your workforce is at maximum possible capacity at all times.

Productivity and efficiency - Ergonomic furniture helps organisations to make sure that their workers are as productive as possible. After all, if you are comfortable in your working environment, it stands to reason that you will work more efficiently. For a small outlay, employers can benefit from big increases in production and efficiency, saving more time and money in the long run.

Why it is important to take a proactive approach to ergonomic office furniture

There are two different types of businesses, those who take a proactive and those who take a reactive approach to ergonomic office furniture. Proactive organisations make provisions for workers in the form of furniture for the office which is responsive to their needs, before this results in problems such as strain injuries.

Reactive organisations only respond when the need dictates that action is taken due to worker. By taking a proactive approach, you can protect yourself from potentially costly legal action and make sure that your staff work as well as they possibly can do.

Now you know more about ergonomic office furniture, isn't it time that you made sure that everyone in your office is comfortable, and has all they need to be more productive and efficient?