Why a Workstation Assessment is worth performing ?

In my work as an ergonomist, advising companies across the UK on how they can minimise back pain in the workplace, I meet some people who can’t see the point of a workstation assessment. “Why should I bother?”, they sometimes ask me.

The truth is that your overall back health and wellbeing can greatly benefit from workstation assessments, and in worst-case scenarios, can save you a lifetime of pain and misery. I so often get the ‘Wow!’ moment with my clients when simple changes have made a huge difference to their comfort levels.

If you ever suffered a back issue and had to book in with a medical professional or even take time off work, you will know it is essential to avoid just undoing all that good work as soon as you sit back at your desk.

A healthy posture when working is crucial for long-term back health. There will be many subtle barriers to you adopting an upright posture, psychologically encouraging a slouch. An expert ergonomist will be able to instantly recognise these and rearrange screens, keyboard, mouse and chair set-up so that you are effortlessly able to remember to sit correctly and undo years of bad-posture habits.

Do you find you tend to slouch at your desk, or when you are flexi-working with your laptop? If so, you will be at risk of suffering long-term wear and tear to your back, age prematurely and develop back pain more quickly – whereas if you sit up, more oxygen will flow to your brain and your spinal discs will stay healthier for longer.

There is a current craze of wellness options being provided in the workplace, like yoga or seated massages. These are indeed wonderful, but if you are simply returning to the same set-up that is causing your back issue in the first place, you are still not resolving the problem at its core.

Ergonomic workstations include taking a history of your back issues and identifying a holistic approach that will help speed up your recovery process.

So, here are 5 points which can see a benefit once an Ergonomic Workstation Assessment has been performed:

1. Increased comfort levels:

An assessment allows, post-assessment, to make some quick and key changes, resulting in significant improved comfort levels levels in a very short length of time. So many people don’t even know or investigate what the levers on their chairs do. They just ‘sit and go’.

2. Long-term protection against injury to your back:

If you sit and slouch all day, increased pressure builds up on your discs. The muscles will lengthen, and as a result weaken. If you are leaning over to one side or another, you will develop pain on one side, in your back, shoulders or neck. Through an assessment of your workstation, it is possible to demonstrate how you can adopt a healthy posture every day, with your back supported. Sometimes, It may be as simple as your screen or keyboard placement encouraging that bad posture.

3. Fast recovery from a musculoskeletal injury, wrist or back-pain injury:

If you are seeing a medical professional ( Medical consultant, Physiotherapist, Osteopath…, the last thing you want to do is go back to your desk, with an inappropriate set-up, slowing or damaging your chances of recovery (this includes issues such as RSI, hip and back issues)

4. Increased productivity:

Through Good posture, you will increase your oxygen supply to your brain and your body, and therefore, keep your body in a better condition. The Outcome will be an increase in your efficiency level, and your productivity.

5. Learn how to use your equipment properly:

More than often, people are being provided with equipment (sometimes very fancy), but not how to use it correctly. This is particularly true with Sit-stand desk. Standing correctly, and weaving in intermittent usage and height placements are all crucial for maximum benefit.
As we recognize that it is virtually impossible to have a face to face assessment for everyone in a company due to time, resources and monies constraints, we have come up with a solution, Agilea, which allow an employee to be trained and informed on a regular basis.

The results, when using Agilea are

The wellbeing of your workforce is improved
The productivity of your company is increased
The legal obligations are always met

So for more information on how Agilea can help your business, please don’t hesitate to contact our sales team.