Poor Posture Is Putting Strain On Companies' Financial Health
15 February 2012
Dr Claire Williams, Lecturer in Human Factors and Ergonomics
With an estimated 7.6 million days lost from work last year due to these musculoskeletal disorders it's pretty clear that no business can afford to ignore the musculoskeletal health of its workforce.
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Dr Claire Williams, Lecturer in Human Factors and Ergonomics at the University of Derby's Centre for Psychological Research, on how local businesses can tackle a continuing cause of sickness absence.
Reported as the University's Talking Business Column in the Derby Telegraph, February 15 2012
"Business across Derbyshire will not be immune from worrying levels of ill health experienced in the UK workforce - a factor that must be seriously affecting many companies' ability to stay afloat in the current economic climate. The latest information from the Labour Force Survey shows that around 26.4 million working days were lost in 2010/11 due to 'sick days'.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are still the most common work-related illness in the UK. These disorders include upper limb problems, back problems, or postural pain that can affect employees' ability to carry out their daily role.
With an estimated 7.6 million days lost from work last year due to these musculoskeletal disorders - an average of 15 days lost in each individual case, or three full working weeks - it's pretty clear that no business can afford to ignore the musculoskeletal health of its workforce. Likewise, employees need to be aware of what they can do to take care of themselves.
In the UK workplace, where a chair, desk and PC in a warm, bright environment is for many the 9-to-5 norm, why are these 'musculoskeletal disorders' so commonplace? Aren't they usually more the result of jobs involving hard physical labour across numerous lengthy shifts in harsh environments?
Whilst we know that we can overload our bodies by physical work which is beyond our capacity, all the time we are sitting at computers, we're continuously working the postural muscles which keep us seated - effectively loading those muscles all the time. We're also 'loading' tendons, ligaments and discs in our backs, in postures which aren't ideal for the body.
For various reasons, employees are not changing posture enough to allow their bodies to change position and give their musculoskeletal system a rest. And we don't mean taking more coffee breaks...which often just involves sitting somewhere else!
At the University of Derby's Centre for Psychological Research we are looking to actively help and work with local businesses in investigating this problem, through a study funded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). By investigating the impact of techniques designed to change behaviour, this study will use a number of interventions to encourage staff to take regular, mini postural breaks (just 15-20 seconds long) without interrupting their work.
We need to recruit 300 participants from a number of different businesses and other organisations in the area for this study.
By getting their employees involved, businesses will be able to access the study findings which could inform their company's health and safety training and information materials.
Our hope is that companies and their workforces will also benefit from any potential gains in productivity that these interventions bring."
If you would like to take part in the study, or want to find out more, please contact Elaine Denning, Research Assistant at the University, on email E.Denning1@derby.ac.uk
