As employees are moving more and more towards computer-based work, the risks of sustained sitting, particularly at poorly-designed workstations, are becoming more clear. As well as the recently documented medical risk factors, organisations are noting widespread reports of postural pain through the neck and back in a majority of their workforce. Individual worksite assessments are the quickest and most effective way of ensuring that an employee’s workstation is designed as ergonomically as possible.
Taking into account the nature of the work being performed, the employee’s background, any injury history and the organisation’s budget for workstation design, a Smart Health Physiotherapist can make effective, concise recommendations regarding both the design of the workstation and the way the employee is using their computer. With these recommendations in place, postural strain is reduced, symptoms are less frequent and less severe, and employees are happier being at work.
Smart Health has been a leader in promoting and instituting sit-stand adjustable-height workstations in offices across South Australia. The evidence linking sustained sitting with poor general health outcomes (diabetes, heart disease, obesity) and musculoskeletal pain (upper back pain, neck pain and headache) continues to mount, presenting a new challenge for employers with a predominantly seated workforce. Smart Health can assist in the development of pilot programs within a business, individual sit-stand workstations, or the institution of a sit-stand program throughout an entire office. Our experience in this field over the last five years has allowed us to identify both the advantages and potential pitfalls of such programs.
Computer & Office Worksite Assessment Practitioners