In “Safety 2012: Ergonomic Strategies for Managing Obesity in the Workplace,” EHS Today provides tips for employers who may have noticed that expanding waistlines have had an impact on some employees’ ability to get their work done. While you cannot tell your workers how to eat or make sure that they are getting enough exercise outside of work, you can provide ergonomic material handling equipment, like cart movers, to prevent injury on the job.
According to EHS Today, “increased obesity in the workplace means more arthritis, larger waist circumferences, additional work limitations, compromised grip strength, decreased lower limb mobility and medical risks.”
In addition to this, “Obesity also can impact self-esteem, motivation, absenteeism, presenteeism, premature mortality and more.”
Having the right equipment to safely complete job tasks, not only cuts down on the possibility of injury; it can also augment worker morale. If the matter of providing the right ergonomic solutions is handled sensitively, there will be no need to indicate that worker obesity is a factor. As an employer, you can simply provide safer equipment to aid employees in being more efficient. Ergonomic solutions can benefit all employees because no matter how much an employee weighs, he or she is subject to injury.
In addition to reducing the possibility of employee injury, you will also be decreasing the likelihood that your products will be damaged or mishandled.
You can call us at 800-686-2651 and our Sales Engineers will be happy to recommend the right material handling solution for your workplace and help you decide if you need custom applications.