Ergonomic Workstations

Ergonomic Workstations

Ergonomic workstations are created to accommodate workers and to adapt to the worker, rather than forcing the worker to adapt to his or her work environment. They are used to keep workers relaxed and comfortable and to eliminate the stress of repetitious movements, thus potentially increasing the worker's productivity. Ergonomic workstations are important in both factory and manufacturing settings because they reduce stress and help to eliminate injuries. This is a vital concern, as injuries from ergonomic issues make up one third of the 1.7 million work injuries per year.

There are two key elements to effective ergonomic workstations: modularity and adjustability. Modularity is important when there is more than one person working in the same workstation, since modular ergonomic workstations have components that can be rearranged. Shelves, cabinets and drawers can be suited to workers' needs by being placed in various locations in the workstation. Adjustable ergonomic workstations can also be changed to fit the needs of a specific worker. Aspects such as the height of desks, chairs, drawers, cabinets and keyboard platforms should all be adjustable.

Ergonomic workstations can include work benches, lab furniture, computer workstations, command operation centers, assembly line stations, office furniture and many more, and they are needed in almost every business within every industry. They are necessary to help prevent unwanted stress through bending, lifting, reaching or twisting. Because of the amount of stress reduction and lessening of worker injuries, the benefits that come from ergonomic workstations far outweigh their cost. Ergonomic workstations can help to keep workers stress- and injury-free and at a high level of productivity.

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