Benefits of ergonomics in the workplace
Workplace challenges that employees face revolve around saving their company money while increasing revenue at the core. That requires productivity, but this critical component is often stifled by a lack of ergonomics in the workplace. Here’s how this simple addition can benefit employees, productivity, and the entire organization.
Reducing Injury
While office settings might not share the same perils are a factory, injuries still occur. One of the most common is carpal tunnel syndrome due to repetitive stress on the wrist. Traditional office equipment does little to combat this, which is why offices require ergonomic designs.
Tendonitis and chronic back pain can also be avoided when employees have an ergonomic mouse, keyboard, and chair. As workers spend more time concentrating on their job duties instead of pain, their productivity and efficiency rates skyrocket.
When it comes to workplace ergonomics, employees who are required to drive for their jobs are often overlooked. Very few employers are aware of the risk posed to their driving employees, not through collision, but simply through sitting in or operating a vehicle for a great length of time.
Workers operating vehicles are more prone to injuries than workers sitting in an office due to the effects of constant movement and vibration on the body. The most common issues associated with driving include body stress injuries including tennis elbow, neck strains, foot cramps, lumbar pains, side aches, shoulder pains and knee pains.
Driver ergonomics focus on creating vehicle environments in which people have a lower chance of injury. If an employee sustains injuries as driver for you company, whether in an accident or from extended periods of driving, it’s important to look at possible manufacturer defects of the vehicle as well. Certain defects or the lack of the car manufacturer to repair the defected vehicle in question, would be a reason to discuss the unique circumstances with an experienced lemon law attorney.
Less Cost on Worker’s Compensation
The injuries mentioned above begin on a microscopic level, slowly developing into full-blown conditions. When those conditions finally arise, employees can quickly seek worker’s compensation for the cost of their care.
A study conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that one dollar out of every three spent on worker’s comp was directly related to a lack of ergonomics in the workplace. Further data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that ergonomic equipment could cut down on days-away-from-work cases by one-third.
While the right equipment might have an initial cost, think of the investment you’re making. The money you save on both of the statistics above will have paid for new equipment in no time. That’s direct savings for your bottom line.
Creating a Culture of Wellness
Of course, growth isn’t just measured in dollar signs. Redesigning elements of your workspace to be more ergonomic shows that your company values employee wellness, thus attracting more employees to the business.
This allows you to attract and retain the best candidates to your available positions. It lets potential applicants and current that they matter as you invest into them while they invest in you. Plus, offering the latest in ergonomic tech is another excellent draw for applicants.
Boosting Quality of Work
With productivity and efficiency up, your organization reaps the benefit of a boost in the quality of work your employees produce. Employees stop fidgeting in their chairs and adjusting their equipment to get comfortable or alleviate pain, placing their full focus on the tasks at hand.
That focus allows uninterrupted workflow, allowing each employee to produce higher quality work throughout the day. This also leads to a lack of errors, keeping your projects on track and clients or consumers satisfied.
ROI
The benefits of ergonomic equipment show an exceptional return on investment for any business. Keep in mind that you can always rely on a warranty breach lawyer to hold the companies you purchase equipment from accountable, too. Anyway you look at it, replacing traditional office equipment with the ergonomic variety is one of the best ways for an organization to continue to grow and move forward.
