Basic HTML Version
Summer 2012 | p2p Magaz i ne |
15
www.binfo.co.uk
their
organisations.
A workstation
risk assessment is a simple and easy
process for any business or employee
to implement. Creating a comfortable,
healthy and productive environment
for employees is not a big investment
but it can positively affect the overall
performance and productivity of an
organisation.
Proactive approach
Interestingly, taking a proactive approach
to ergonomics can also bolster a
company’s reputation and employee
commitment as well as serving as a good
indicator for future employees. 46%
reported that they would feel proud to
work for a company that took employee
wellbeing seriously, 29% would feel
more motivated, 28% would be more
efficient and 14% of people would
even consider changing companies
to a more ergonomically focussed
company.
Louise Shipley at Fellowes said,
“With UK employees now spending
an average of 6.7 hours a day working
at a computer, the concerns of lost
productivity and revenue are only going
to increase.Workstation risk assessments
are part of Health and Safety law but
employers should also educate and
encourage employees to highlight
problem areas so that any reductions
in productivity or time off sick can be
rectified and business improvements
ultimately made.
70% of employees reported spending
an average 51 minutes per day
rearranging their workspace and
fidgeting to get comfortable – that’s
24.4 lost working days per employee
per year, from just fidgeting alone!
With 71% of employees having
already suffered from ailments during
the past three years, as a direct result
of using computers for work, employers
can’t afford not to invest in providing
a safe and comfortable working
environment for their employees,
especially when they share workspaces
and work from multiple locations.
Employees reported suffering from
ailments such as headaches (32%), tense
shoulders (29%), neck ache (28%), eye
problems (27%) and sore wrists and arms
(25%) which all affected their ability to
work productively.
Workstation risk assessment
The research, commissioned by office
specialists Fellowes, interviewed 1,000
workers across the UK and found that
despite being a legal requirement for
all businesses to carry out, only 45%
of those questioned had been given a
Workstation risk assessment – designed
to identify and resolve issues which
might cause poor posture or pain. People
who work from home are even more at
risk, with only 18% having had such an
assessment.
Worryingly, almost one in five
employees stated that there is no help or
support from their company in relation
to creating a comfortable workspace – in
fact UK employees are worse off than
workers in Germany and the Netherlands
who receive much greater support from
ERGONOMICS
Uncomfortable employees
cost UK businesses £s
New research reveals that employees who can’t get
comfortable at their desk could be costing their
employer on average £3,279 per person per year,
in lost revenue through time off sick and reduced
productivity.
COST
TO BUSINESS
£670.96
Average salary
per week
£134.19
Average salary per day
£3,279.32
Cost of fidgeting
per year, per worker
16,200,200
Number of
computer workers in UK
£53,125,713,076.44
Total cost to UK
businesses
WASTE BY
NUMBERS
51
minutes per day
11,730
minutes
per year
24.4
days per
year
“Sitting in an ergonomically correct
position can prevent a variety of
serious ailments including back and
wrist pain and ergonomic products are
available to help improve certain areas
of an employee’s posture. Creating an
ergonomic workspace is not a complex
or expensive undertaking, but long
term it can save a business a great
deal of money. The first step is to carry
out a simple, workstation risk
assessment, which will
identify the issues which
need addressing.”
Fellowes has a
simple workstation risk
assessment online at
www.ergo.
fellowes.com/
en/workstation-
assessment.