Chartered Physiotherapists can give expert biomechanical, anthropometrical and environmental advice on ergonomics across both office and home environments.
Why focus on Ergonomics?
We spend a lot of time in our places of work. Whether you’re outside or inside, moving or stationary, your work environment and equipment put a number of demands on your body – ergonomics aim to reduce those demands.
Over time, a poor ergonomic working environment can cause a host of complications including neck and back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome for office workers, and general stiffness in the hips and legs. As the retirement age is pushed upwards, we can expect to have longer working careers, putting a greater emphasis on taking care of yourself throughout your career.
The Role of Physiotherapy in Ergonomics
Ergonomics affects men and women of all ages, some examples include:
- Business professionals
- Financial professionals
- Legal practitioners
- Construction workers/labourers
- Writers/journalists
- School students
- Artists
What will a Chartered Physiotherapist do for me?
- Work-related injury prevention and treatment
Using our best practice knowledge and technical understanding of occupational injuries, occupational physiotherapists are able to design and implement robust early claim and rehabilitation management strategies to ensure employer and employee benefit.
- Fitness to work
We ensure your employees are both mentally and physically fit for their specific roles and duties. This can be done pre-hire or during employment, through general fitness for work assessments. This protects employers and employees by minimising risk and ensuring compliance.
- Absence management
When an employee is on long-term sick leave, we can step in and work with our clients to facilitate their rehabilitation and return to work. We can ensure that the client, HR and Line Managers benefit from evidence based, practical advice, that helps to ensure a safe, productive and sustained return to work.
- Employee health & wellbeing
The greatest asset to your company is your people, so improving their health and wellbeing will ultimately have a positive effect on their productivity and their accountability while they are at work.
- Job task analysis
Sometimes employers and employees alike do not fully comprehend the full physical, psychological, and environmental demands of a job. Situations like recruiting the right candidate or planning the safe return to work of an injured employee can become a daunting task if the requirements of a person’s role are not clearly outlined. Having a comprehensive Job Task Analysis and Job dictionary can help to mitigate these risks.
- Ergonomics
Poor ergonomic work practices or poorly designed workstations can play a significant role in the development of many preventable musculoskeletal disorders including neck and back pain, shoulder and arm pain, headaches and repetitive injury strains. We perform in-person, virtual, and workstation assessments, as well as provide ergonomic training and workshops.
- Return to work plans
A personalised return to work plan is proven to assist with returning employees to work, faster and with a greater success rate. Our detailed reports remove the guess work for management teams and allows them to make informed decisions.
What can I do?
Ask yourself these questions, does my work environment put me in a static position for long periods of time? Do I feel stiff after a period of work? Do I struggle with using some of my equipment? Does the lighting make it more difficult to concentrate?
If the answer to any of these questions is “yes”, then do what you can to turn it into a “no”, be that bringing it up with management or making changes yourself. If issues persist after adjustment or you’re finding it difficult to find a solution, you may need to speak to your Physiotherapist or Occupational Health Specialist.
Benefits of Good Ergonomics
- Lower risk of work-related injury
- Improved health
- Better employee/workplace morale
- Greater productivity
- Improved product quality
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Disclaimer
The content on this page is provided for general information purposes only and is not meant to replace a physiotherapy or medical consultation. The ISCP is not responsible for the content of any external sites, nor should selection be seen as an endorsement of them.
