Please Take A Seat, Sir
By Shaun Parker
The most important piece of office furniture you could possibly invest in is proper seating. The correct seating that is supportive and, set up correctly, will avoid untold compensation claims through the health and safety department. To get the right seating for our employees we need to understand why it is so important.
The spine is a complicated piece of equipment. It supports our whole body and protects our whole nervous system. As strong as it may seem to be, the spine is susceptible to strains that everyday life puts upon it and it is essential that we look after it well. To sit awkwardly all day in an uncomfortable office chair will soon show in the muscles and nerves running from the neck, through the arms, down the spine and through both legs.
As the back is notoriously difficult to heal, this situation is best avoided. A seat that supports at all the right angles is the most essential piece of office furniture that you need to spend as much as you can possibly afford on. On top of this, the user needs to make all the necessary adjustments to suit themselves as office chairs rarely come custom made in versions that any normal person could afford.
Of course, there are other aspects to the office furniture that need to be looked at for the health of the staff and the purse strings of the company. Desks are important. Without them we would be working on the floor and that wouldn't do our backs any good at all. A desk at the correct height for the user will avoid unnecessary strain. Get a desk, chair and VDU set up at the optimum angle for individual employees and you should be laughing when it comes to them having no grounds for compensation claims.
Of course, the right office furniture does not guarantee that there are no health issues arising from it, but if you as an employer have done all you can, it is then up to the individual to be responsible and take sensible breaks to get up and move around.
So, why exactly should you get the right furniture? Why can you not just chuck in any old desks and chairs and tell them to get on with it like they did in the old days? For a start, employers now have a degree of responsibility towards their staff that they should not be injured in any way while working for us. How could you possibly get injured by sitting at a desk typing?
Well, for a start there is repetitive strain injury, particularly to typists. Having the wrists bent at a set angle for long periods of time can cause carpal tunnel syndrome - a very painful affliction in the wrists brought on by the repeated bending of the joint.
Bending over a desk when the seat or the desk are at the wrong height can cause trapped nerves and strained muscles that can see an employee off work for months on sick leave, giving the employer a staffing problem.
Deep vein thrombosis is not something restricted to air travellers and has frequently been found in office workers who sit for long periods without a break. This is a life threatening condition and can be aggravated by crossing or sitting on the legs. Supportive seating that does not cut across the back of the legs along with the all important regular breaks to get up and move around are very important to avoid this major health issue.
This all goes to show that the correct office furniture is not something to be overlooked but something that will make your staff happier and more productive.
About the author
Shaun Parker is a leading health and safety expert with many years of experience in the office environment. Find out more about office furniture at http://www.planscapeuk.com from http://www.FreeArticlesAndContent.com
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