Hybrid working health, safety and ergonomics

Our top tips on working from home; From posture, through to purchasing equipment, wellbeing, stretching, and productivity… Our ergonomic assessments help your employees, including those with complex musculoskeletal needs, adopt good ergonomic practices while working from home with our tailored advice… Employers should also provide workers with advice on completing their own basic assessment at home. This could be in the form of practical home workstation set-up guidance. Demonstrating understanding of the challenges employees are facing will strengthen their bond with the organisation and enable them to come forward with any questions about their home working set-up or other aspects of their work.

This means that we all need a better understanding of ergonomics to ensure that we are working in comfortable conditions, and not storing up problems for the future. Workplace ergonomics is important because if it is mismanaged, it can cost both employees and businesses dearly. https://remotemode.net/blog/10-remote-work-ergonomics-tips-to-use/ If you are forced to work in an office without ergonomic office equipment, you could suffer a range of health complaints and workplace injuries. These include problems with your hands, stiff joints, headaches, neck and back pain, muscle cramps or develop eye strain.

Promote an ergonomic set-up

Regardless of the exact cause, the direct and indirect costs of a worker’s injury compensation claim can add up to a significant amount. The direct costs are related to ongoing medical treatment while the indirect costs are related to loss of production. In the end it is important to have a proper workplace at home, which gives the least possible physical problems.

However, ergonomics also applies to people, and changing behaviour. For example, traditionally, people sat still at desks for long periods when working. However, a better understanding of ergonomics has encouraged us to move around more, or use standing desks at least for some part of the day. Buying the best office chair under £200 means you need to be strict with what you expect from the chair.

Ergonomic Office Chairs

Keeping your hands in line with your forearms relieves the tendons, and limits the strain on your arms and shoulders. The use of an ergonomic mouse pad with a wrist rest is also recommended. Ergonomists tend to agree that taking breaks and adjusting your position can enhance your mental wellbeing, but also your productivity and creativity. Regular screen breaks are very important to remember when you work from home as well as incorporating movement into your day. Walks, stretching or even the use of a sit-stand desk can all help.

Ergonomics essentially means the fit between an individual and their environment, which in this case refers to the workplace. Workers spend long hours every week in the workplace performing the same tasks for several hours every day, whether that is working on a computer or pushing, pulling, and lifting heavy items. If performed in an incorrect manner, any of these activities can cause all sorts of musculoskeletal disorders such as muscle strains, back injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff injuries and tendinitis among others. Lighting – Too much, or too little light can make it difficult to carry out the most simple of tasks, increasing the risk of eye strain or headaches. When working from home, it’s key to try to work in proximity to as much natural light as possible.

What is computer desk lighting ergonomics?

This could further reduce the protections that employers feel legally obliged to offer, because home workers have neither temporary nor permanent status. In the Institute for Employment Studies’ home worker wellbeing survey of 500 workers, https://remotemode.net/ 58 per cent said they had neck pains that had not been there before and over half (56 per cent) said that they had new shoulder pains. They may not be permanent home workers on paper, but the health implications of inaction can be serious.

• A great way of doing this is by attaching your monitor to an arm so you can properly adjust it to aid your vision, posture and comfort.
• If so, then as an employer you are responsible for employees’ health, safety and welfare, including when working from home.
• Other devices such as document holders (again available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes) can also be helpful.
• Working in an environment that suits your needs impacts several other aspects of your life, including your happiness, health, and productivity.
• A few hours on a weekend of this wouldn’t be too detrimental, but 40 hours a week can start to do some real damage.

In many cases, a height-adjustable electric desk, combined with an ergonomic sit/stand chair, are particularly helpful office fittings. And if it is not possible for you to equip yourself with such fittings at home, take advantage of the time saved on transport to do a daily workout. Recent years have obviously had a huge impact on the world of work, especially in regards to how and where people work. According to research from Bupa UK in 2020, over 11 million Brits had injured their back, neck, hips, knees or wrists due to poor home office setups. The research suggested that only 32% of remote workers have a dedicated workspace in their home, with many using sofas, kitchen chairs, beds, or even beanbags as makeshift workstations. Hopefully these figures have improved significantly since the research was carried out, however anecdotal evidence suggests there are still many people out there still suffering with working from home.