Ill-fitting office furniture causes pain in half of Brit workers

More than half (55 per cent) of British workers complain that the wrong kind of office furniture
gives them back aches and pains, while 15 per cent find that using the wrong office equipment
such as computer keyboards leads to wrist ache and repetitive strain injury (RSI), new research has revealed.

These problems are often caused by the fact that companies purchase ill-fitting office furniture that does not fully match the needs of employees, instead of bespoke office equipment that is ergonomically designed.

Generic office furniture is designed for the widest possible customer base and as such, does not take into account any of the variations between different people. As it makes sense that a taller person will have a different posture to a shorter person and in the long term, office furniture that does not consider these differences can cause all manner of problems.

It is also estimated that more than one third of people in the UK do not spend enough time planning the setup of their office area. One in five people suffer from shoulder pains, sore necks and eye strain in the office. This is most likely a direct result of positioning their computer monitor incorrectly.

A range of office equipment, such as wrist wrests for using keyboards or a computer mouse and anti-glare screens, can help to reduce these symptoms.