Studies and recommendations

In the 19th century already there were many activities in various countries to analyze human work in a scientific way. In the field of the Science of Work there are many different individual areas each of which deals with human work and its effects from its own perspective.

Demographic change

For years we witness more or less substantial changes in the demographic structure with regard to age, birth and death rates, immigration and emigration. Each company has to react to that change in time, if it intends to maintain its competitiveness on the labour market in the long term. When demography within a company is the subject, one has to realize that it does not only involve the problem of an aging labour force. Actually, the notion of demographic change covers a large array of various areas of activity. Therefore it would not be sufficient to analyze age structures or to deal with the issue of aging employees alone.

The destination route of an ergonomic workplace design consists of reducing the workload and simultaneously improving the object-related performance during the creation of a work. Nowadays, the importance of the management's task to design the external conditions (i.e. workplace) to ensure the prerequisites for optimal human performance is increasing. Our ergonomic workplace mats for standing jobs can contribute a significantly positive effect.

By using the isoloc workplace mats a clearly measurable load reduction can be achieved in comparison with hard, inelastic soil conditions.

Generally, the following requirements have to be claimed with regard to the characteristics of workplace mats:

  • The pressure distribution under the bottom of the foot must ensure that any load peak is avoided, which could lead to pressure pain at the feet, especially when walking.
  • Those impact-like load peaks, which arise while rolling off the foot during walking, (so-called "passive force peaks" shortly after the heel touches the soil) should be as low as possible to minimize joint loads.

In order to evaluate the load situation properly with regard to these two criteria, it is worthwhile to link physical and human-physiological measurements.

Physical examinations (determination of the spring characteristics and measurement of vertical loads in case of impact loads) enable an exact material-physical measurement.

Human-physiological examinations with a test person (measurement of the distribution of pressure under the sole of the foot and measurement of the impact load during the roll-off movement) enable direct statements about the load situation acting upon walking persons.

As is known, joints (joints at the foot, knee, hip and spinal column) constitute the weak points of the human support and movement apparatuses. Due to years of false loads and overloads degenerative changes are very common here. As common work shoes are often made of soles which are too hard and inflexible, offering only a very little elastically absorbing effect, this function has to be taken over by the workplace mats.

To top

image: stress peaks curve
image: load diagram

The fight with the spine

The „fight with the spine“ is multiply proven: According to a survey of the Burda Foundation absences for sickness average 12.8 days per employee per year. German companies incur costs of
129 billion Euro annually due to this absence of staff because of illness. Problems with the back and the musculoskeletal system are in 25 % of the cases the reason for the sick certificate (source: live PR, Kur- & Gäste Service Bad Füssing). As per BAUA (Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) default costs around 400 € per day on average are expected. But also if the employee is present, back complaints cause permanently costs. Pain reduces considerably the efficiency of the brain and leads to deficiency in concentration, increasing frequency of errors and additional work breaks. Moreover, pain does not quite enhance the motivation of the staff.

Any Questions?