Business Tips To Avoid Workers Compensation Claims Using Ergonomic Office Furniture
Last week I visited a client who had just been the recipient of an ergonomic evaluation performed by an independent insurance analyst
. The evaluation was the result of a workers compensation claim. Our female client was suffering from a variety of complications including but not limited to lower back pain, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and headaches.Her employer hired our company to solve the ergonomic dilemma and to use our expertise to recommend the right ergonomic office furniture and seating to alleviate her symptoms. We were happy to rise to the challenge.
With measured every aspect of her existing work station and seating situation, including her work surface height, chair height, and all pertinent and relative adjacencies as relating to repetitive daily movements. After we collected all our own data, we departed with a copy of the ergonomic evaluation performed by the independent insurance analyst.
We always base our findings on a combination of things. We consistently utilize field measurements and dialogue notes collected during our surveys, but this time there was a twist. We had to tailor our recommendations to address the stipulations and findings of the ergonomic analyst hired by the employer.
Frankly, I do not think having the ergonomic evaluation in hand made too much difference in what we would have recommended as relating to our recommended solutions.
You see, most of us spend an average of eight to nine hours per day sitting down. If this is the case for you, stop and take a moment to evaluate how your body feels while seated for extended periods.
Do you feel pain or stiffness in your back or a slight numbness in your lower thighs or buttocks? Other common effects include lethargy or headaches as a result of sitting. These symptoms usually stem from restricted blood circulation. Many employers hire us to resolve carpal tunnel complaints cited by their staff.
All of these symptoms are completely normal in every office environment and they are not positive for employers due to the obvious potential for employee compensation claims.
Employee compensation claims are generally expensive to resolve and there are some very simple product solutions that can be implemented to avoid them. First, it is best to call in a specialist like myself or someone who is experienced and adept at identifying the potential causes of workers compensation claims as relating to furniture, seating, and the office environment in general. Sometimes simple adjustments of existing furniture and configuration can be sufficient to eliminate complaints.
Physicians recently determined that people with obesity have a natural predisposition to be attracted to a seated position and to chairs in general. That is true even after obese people lose weight. It is sort of a knee jerk response or habit that is perpetuated after carrying additional weight.
Physicians indicate that even when you are standing or just walking around, you are employing specialized sets of muscles designed for supporting your posture. These special muscle groups never tire. These muscle groups are unique and very rich in enzymes. When you are in a seated position these muscle groups are relaxed and enzyme production drops by 90 to 95 percent, leaving fat to lie dormant in the bloodstream. After being seated for several hours, healthy cholesterol drops by twenty percent.
Older people who are active have approximately one half the mortality rate of their peers who are inactive. Folks who regularly surf the web or watch television develop higher rates of obesity, hypertension, high triglyceride levels, low HDL cholesterol, and higher blood sugar regardless of their weight.
As a historical average, lean people stand for two hours per day or longer than their lesser active counterparts. Basically, the spine was not meant to stay stationary for long periods of time in a seated position. Remaining seated for extended periods inherently causes stiffness.
The office furniture and chair industry produces an incredible volume of advertising which subsequently drives perceptions about what makes for healthy workstation and seating positions, but these can often be a misleading. Most propaganda if designed to accomplish one goal, increase sales.
In previous articles I have mentioned that more expensive does not necessarily mean higher quality. Price is not inextricably linked to comfort or ergonomics, on the contrary it is more likely linked to ego.
If you are looking for a good cost effective ergonomic task chair for your office you do not have to spend a thousand dollars or more for one of the Herman Miller highly advertised Aeron Task Chairs. You may want to consider lines by OFM and Office Star, Canadian Atlas Furniture, Global, All Seating, or Sit On It. They boast most of the same ergonomic features as the Herman Miller chairs for about one third the cost.
Well enough of that and back to solving our employee compensation dilemma. Remember, we are trying to adhere to that pesky independent ergonomic survey by an independent analyst.
Our solutions were pretty straight forward. We recommended implementation of the following; one new ergonomic keyboard with articulating keyboard and mouse platform, one new dual flat panel monitor arm with paper holder, one under counter mounted 360 degree swivel cpu holder, implementation of one new workstation with power assist variable height work surface which can be raised or lowered with the touch of a button, increased natural fluorescent task lighting and one additional project lamp with natural light bulbs for scrutinous reading or tedious projects.
The work surface we recommended was more shallow than the one we replaced. We recommended this to diminish the distance our client has to reach to accomplish her daily functions. We also recommended a new task chair with plenty of ergonomic features to include adjustable lumbar support, adjustable arms, and a seat slider feature with 500 pound capacity gas cylinder. We had to make sure we addressed the objectives stipulated by the third party ergonomic analyst.
The seat slider feature is an often overlooked feature that is always appreciated by taller people like myself. I am over six feet tall, and most office chairs without the seat slide feature do not provide adequate support for my legs because the seat is not deep enough to provide adequate support. A seat slide feature offers the benefit of moving the seat forward independently of the back, so that the front of the seat reaches out to fully support the entire length of the thighs which better distributes body weight.
All in all, we resolved all of the problems including the independent stipulations with some inexpensive ergonomic furniture and seating recommendations. Well, until next time, have a blessed day.
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