It’s another workday where you open your email inbox to find a note from an employee complaining about how stiff and sore, they are after a full day of working from home. They miss their chair from the office that provided them better back support and they experience regular headaches from staring at their computer screens all day. Because of this, their performance and productivity has been suffering.
Thankfully, PRN’s Ergonomic Program can help eliminate many of these common, everyday symptoms that so many suffer from when working with an improper work setting day after day.
At PRN, we strive to improve your performance and productivity in the workplace while preventing injuries from occurring. Our ergonomic specialists are trained in determining whether your work environment is safe and appropriately set up for you so that you can work at your optimal level throughout the day while also feeling comfortable.
Who can benefit from an ergonomic assessment?
Whether you work in a conventional office setting or an industrial environment like a warehouse, grocery store or lab, our ergonomics program can drastically improve your everyday work environment. An initial evaluation can be helpful for individuals looking to prevent injuries, people who have started to experience problems during the workday, those who are currently being treated for an injury related to their job, or those looking to improve how they feel throughout the workday.
What can I expect during an assessment?
Our talented team can visit your worksite in person (if located in the Bay Area, Sacramento or Stockton, California communities) or virtually to complete a detailed assessment of your working environment. During these assessments, our ergonomists identify anything that may put you at risk of repetitive stress injuries from the repetition of your daily work tasks.
For a classic office or work from home desk setting, we will look at a variety of items that may contribute to a risk of injury, fatigue or lack of productivity including:
- How to correctly adjust the chair
- Correct placement of the monitor, keyboard, mouse and writing surfaces
- Correct posture
- Neutral wrist, proper keyboard, and mouse operation techniques
- How to correctly use ergonomic accessories such as wrist rests and telephone headsets
- Vision care
- Discussion of rest and stretch breaks
Meanwhile, for a less conventional office setting, like a warehouse, grocery store, library or pharmaceutical lab, we will look for repetitive tasks that are completed daily that may lead to stress injuries, environmental lighting that can lead to visual strain and the flooring in your environment.
How long will it take?
Each individual assessment may take 30 minutes to an hour. During that time, our ergonomists will ask you a variety of questions to determine your work habits and posture. We will spend the latter half of the appointment reviewing the changes and recommendations we have for you. Some suggestions can be easily implemented, such as changing the height of your chair or adding a pillow for your back, while other recommendations may include the purchase of a monitor stand, being mindful of your posture or re-arranging your work area.
Most evaluations are resolved within the initial evaluation, but if continued discomfort is reported, we may complete a follow-up appointment to further evaluate the workplace situation or check in on the progress of physical behavior changes that were recommended. Set up an ergonomics evaluation today!
Can I request an appointment independent of my company?
We offer ergonomic evaluations for both individuals and entire companies. If you are looking to improve your workplace environment, but your employer does not offer ergonomic evaluations, we can work with you one on one to set up an appointment for a flat-rate fee.
Alternatively, we enjoy working with businesses, large and small, to provide all employees with a personalized evaluation and overall workplace improvement recommendations. The talented PRN Ergonomics team has partnered with both nationally-known companies and smaller local businesses in the past to help to improve the day-to-day health & wellness of their employees while also enhancing overall company performance and productivity.
How do I make an appointment?
If you are interested in an individual ergonomic assessment or would like to partner with us to provide assessments for your entire company, please reach out to us via email at ergoscheduling@prnpt.com or call us at (408) 586-0800 ext. 10.