Are Musculoskeletal Disorders Becoming a Pain for Employers?

No employee deserves to be uncomfortable in the workplace, mentally or physically. They come to work every day to get their job done, and the only way to ensure that they are working at the best of their ability is to make sure that they are feeling comfortable in their working environment.

As more and more people are being employed up and down the country, there has been a trend that has been noticed by health experts in that more people appear to be suffering from some form of musculoskeletal injury or complaint which is affecting their work.

One of the Biggest Causes of Work Absence in the UK

Employees who are affected by some form of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) are more likely to take time off work due to their condition; each taking on average 16 days off per year because of their MSD.

What’s more, these disorders have been known to make up around 60% of work related illness which related to back, neck or limb issues.

Unfortunately, these injuries aren’t exclusive to industries which require a lot of manual labour or handling like many people may believe. In fact, one of the main reasons that people develop these painful conditions is inadequate office facilities which don’t support workers properly when they are working with computers.

Sitting at a desk and typing all day is an extremely repetitive process, which is a huge influencing factor in developing an MSD, especially in neck, back and upper joint pain.

How Office Design Can Help

MSDs can develop in any industry, which is why it is important to be able to recognise that early intervention is key when it comes to reducing the amount of employees suffering with these conditions.

When designing an office- or at least picking furniture for your workers to use- always look for an ergonomic style which will help reduce the risk of stress or strain on your employees’ bodies and encourage a good posture for working with.

A report published by Fit to Work Europe found that 50% of long term absence and 39% of short term absence can be completely avoided if businesses take the right steps to combat MSDs with regards to implementing sufficient protocols and investing in adequate furniture for them to use.

Encouraging your employees to undertake fitness activities is also advised; the more flexible and strong they are, especially in the core muscles, the less likely they will be to develop any painful injuries while at their desks!

Here at Officescape, we strive to create ergonomic, comfortable offices for employees to work in all across the UK. We specialise in office space planning, as well as furniture planning and project management.

If you would like to find out more about how Officescape can help your business combat musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace, feel free to give us a call on 01553 811833 and a member of our team will be happy to help you.

We’d also love if you could follow us on our social media accounts; we can be found over on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.