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The Importance Of Office Ergonomics

December 23, 2014

Office workers are at an increased risk of musculoskeletal problems, which has been shown by numerous research articles. 73% of office workers report one or more musculoskeletal symptom (Institute of Occupational Medicine 2007). The research shows that the most commonly reported symptoms are problems with the eyes, head, neck, shoulders and back. It also shows that neck, shoulder and back problems are often reported together. Recent research in Europe has shown that low back pain and neck pain is the leading cause of disability.

Corporate Ergonomics

The office worker is particularly at risk because they are likely to do the following:

  • Work long hours
  • Static positioning
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • Stress
  • Fatigue
  • Poor and incorrect use of workstation

It is also a very costly problem as the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council published data this year saying that ergonomic health issues cost Singapore $3.5 billion a year.

Improving office ergonomics can have a significant impact on a company. It can help in the following ways:

  • Reduce absenteeism
  • Reduce health problems
  • Speed up recovery of injuries
  • Prevent reoccurrence of injuries
  • Increased productivity of employees
  • Improve employee well being
  • Increase job satisfaction
  • Health prevention
  • Employee retention

If you are interested, please click to find out more about our corporate ergonomic assessments. Alternatively, get in touch with your local PhysioActive clinic to arrange an appointment.


Thanks for reading!

This post has been written by PhysioActive physiotherapist Jenny Johnson B.Sc (Hons) - Physiotherapist, Manual Therapist, Ergonomist

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