Have you ever experienced aches and pains from work? If so, you may be one of the 553,000 cases of work-related musculoskeletal disorders logged in the UK each year. With these staggering numbers, it has never been more important to invest in your health with ergonomic equipment.

Here at Lyreco, we’ve not only provided thousands of businesses across the world workplace products and solutions for over 90 years, we’ve also accumulated a specialist team of experts to help ensure your workplace is safe and compliant with DSE legislation and risk prevention.

In this article, we’ll be talking about how you can prevent injury in the workplace, and sharing expert advice from our teams to help you understand how to protect your teams, and what benefits this can bring to you and your workplace.

What are musculoskeletal disorders?

Musculoskeletal conditions affect the joints, bones and muscles, and also include rarer autoimmune diseases and back pain. These disorders affect 1 in 4 of the adult population (many being young and of working age) which is around 9.6 million adults and 12,000 children in the UK. There are over 200 types of musculoskeletal conditions including Tendonitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Muscle & Tendon strains and sprains.

Ergonomics is defined as the science of fitting a workplace to the user’s needs, aiming to increase efficiency and productivity and reduce discomfort. By incorporating ergonomically friendly equipment into your workplace, you can reduce and prevent incurring musculoskeletal disorders in the future – a worthy investment.

What are the most common musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace?

Despite the vast number of musculoskeletal disorders, the main areas are the neck, back, wrists and legs:

Hands & Wrists
Too often, we type in positions that are unnatural or less than ideal, because our keyboards tend to be raised, causing our hands to bend backwards. Our range of mouse pads and wrist rests are designed to help keep your keyboard and mouse lower than your forearm, so hands and arms are in-line for ultimate comfort and long-term wrist health.

Ergonomic mice reduce muscle tension in comparison to standard flat mouse devices, and are much more comfortable as they reduce the risk of discomfort in wrists and forearms. Compact keyboards bring the mouse within comfortable reach, thereby reducing stress on the arms and shoulders.

Neck & Back
Good posture is essential to lasting health and comfort. Our ergonomic chairs are designed to support the natural curvature of your spine and neck area. We also provide mesh, full back and lumbar supports that can be fitted on to existing office chairs. To further reduce strain on the neck, eyes and back – our adjustable monitor arms and risers help to keep your laptop at eye level to reduce strain, and free up valuable desk space.

Feet & Legs
Resting your feet in the correct position keeps muscles relaxed and minimises cramping, as well as improving seated posture, and preventing back and shoulder problems. Our foot rests, rockers and climate control ergonomic foot supports are a great addition if your desk cannot be adjusted to your desired height.

The benefits of using ergonomic equipment

Using ergonomically friendly equipment not only prevents injury in the workplace, it also increases performance, productivity and staff retention. Based on research conducted by Fellowes, 57% of UK employees said they would be happy to stay at a job longer if more was done to look after their wellbeing.

When people feel really well looked after, it’s likely to have a positive impact on their performance.  A great place to start is to ensure they are working comfortably and healthily at their desks – whether office or home based.

DSE workstation assessments should be provided for all computer-using employees who are based in the office or working from home on a long-term basis.

 As Emma Crumpton, Chartered Ergonomist and Ergonomic Consultant for healthy workspace specialists Fellowes, explains:

  ‘’It is vital for our health and wellbeing, as well as our productivity and job satisfaction that adequate assessment, equipment provision and adjustments to work practices and workstations are made to reflect changes in working environments and reduce associated risks.’’

How Lyreco can support your business with DSE Assessments

As well as providing an extensive range of ergonomic equipment and furniture, we provide several routes to completing DSE assessments to identify and prevent injury in the workplace.

To get the support you and your team need, and learn more about DSE assessments click here, or the button below.Follow us on our social media by clicking below, to be the first to hear about our latest news and blog posts.