UK & US Approaches toOffice Ergonomics

Implications for Global Companies

Guy Osmond

OF11

Guy OsmondManaging Director

www.ergonomics.co.uk

Guy OsmondManaging Director

A Personal View• Ergonomics Landscape

• Regulation vs. Workers’ Comp

• Similarities and differences• More about the UK/Europe

– Training– Corporate Culture

• The future• Free tools

Guy OsmondManaging Director

• Who?• What?• Why?

Who?• Dropped out of university in my 2nd year• In business since 1975• Wine bar, Property development,

Children’s clothes shop, Slot machines, Satellite TV

• In Workplace Ergonomics since 1992• Mensa member since 1996• Married since 1982 with one son

Who?

The UK’s most knowledgeable supplier of innovative products and services to improve workplace wellbeing and productivity

What?

It’s about the outcome… not the sale

Why?

Google: guy osmond

Thanks to …• Peter Budnick• Michael Craggs• James Golden• Alan Hedge• Ira Janowitz• Rani Lueder• Eileen Vollowitz

UK & US Approaches toOffice Ergonomics

Implications for Global Companies

So who are you???

• From the US?• From Canada?• From Europe?• From the rest of the world?• More than 5 years in workplace

ergonomics?

UK & Europe 1 - Scandinavia

2 - Holland

3 - UK

4 – Central Europe

Southern Europe

Ergonomics Landscape

• Regulation• Keyboard Trays

Population313m

Population739m

Regulation

• Health & Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992

• Health & Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 as amended by the Health & Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002

bit.ly/dse-regs

Regulation 2: Analysis of workstations to assess and reduce risks(1) Every employer shall perform a suitable and sufficient analysis of those (DSE) workstations …

… for the purpose of assessing the health and safety risks to which those persons are exposed in consequence of that use.

(3) The employer shall reduce the risks identified in consequence of an assessment to the lowest extent reasonably practicable.

Regulation

• Adequate lighting• Adequate contrast, no glare or distracting reflections• Distracting noise minimised• Leg room and clearances to allow postural changes• Window covering if needed to minimise glare• Software: appropriate to task, adapted to user, providing feedback

on system status, no undisclosed monitoring• Screen: stable image, adjustable, readable, glare/reflection-free• Keyboard: usable, adjustable, detachable, legible• Work surface: with space for flexible arrangement of equipment and

documents; glare-free• Chair: stable and adjustable• Footrest if user needs one

Regulation

© Health and Safety Executive

Regulation

• No equivalent EU process

• UK litigation exists but only as the last (not first) resort

• Individual outcomes in the U.S. much more product focussed

Workers’ Comp

• Standard workstation assessment• Escalation trigger• Enhanced assessment• Recommendations

– Training– Job changes– Products

EU Individual Assessment

• Stress not compensable in the US• Stress-related illness now a major

issue in the UK– Job security– Smart Working– Workload

Psycho-social issues

Time >>>

Prod

uctiv

ity >

>>

What you are seeing if you only measure absenteeism

What is actually happening

Unmeasured lost productivity

Presenteeism

Presenteeism cost = 1.5 to 3 x cost of absenteeism

http://bit.ly/PresExplained

Products

• Asking the right questions• It must be ergonomic: it says so on the

box!• Which manufacturer’s brochures did you

learn ergonomics from?• WoW Factor Test• Awesomeness Test

www.prankpack.com

Products

Training

ergoergo.info

C R

Cost

CATNAP

Cost vs. InvestmentCorporate Culture

C R

Cost

CATNAP

ROI

Corporate Culture

Doing it becausethey must

Doing it becausethey know it’s right

Corporate Culture• Open plan (collaborative working)

– Bench desking– Breakout – touchdown – meeting rooms - pods– Acoustics

• Smart/Agile/Flexible/Mobile Working– Home working, hot desks

bit.ly/SWhandbook

Corporate Culture

• Wellbeing– Stress not compensable– Resilience to support change management

• Engagement– Ergonomists– Health & Safety– Occupational Health– HR– Wellness/Wellbeing– Diversity & Inclusion

Image: advisorone.com

The Future

• BYOD - Smartphones and tablets– Wearable technology/internet of things

The Future

• Millennials– Always connected

bit.ly/boom-mill

The Future

• Smart Chair– Predicting sitting behaviour with psychometrics?

Guy OsmondManaging Director

www.osmondgroup.co.uk