Sitting down at work for prolonged periods can often be overlooked in terms of negative health outcomes, but there’s an increasing body of research that shows sitting too much can lead to issues including circulation problems, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes… and even early death.
Long periods of sitting can lead to everything from poor blood flow and swollen legs to muscle weakness, fatigue, stiff joints, back pain, weight gain and higher stress/mental fatigue.
By encouraging staff members to stand and move more, you’ll help to improve circulation, keep energy levels steady, improve focus and reaction times, reduce injury risks and support long-term health over time to ensure that people can continue to perform their jobs well.
There are various strategies you can employ that will help facilitate standing and moving, including the use of standing desks, active breaks including stretching, walking and light mobility exercises, shift-friendly routines and the use of anti-fatigue matting.
These matting solutions have been found to help reduce strain on joints, keeping legs fresh, to help staff members transition between sitting and standing more regularly throughout the day.
Other ways to improve health and safety in industrial workplaces include carrying out site surveys to identify problem zones and install the appropriate matting solutions, carrying out staff training on the risks of prolonged sitting and encouraging a culture of movement to keep people alert, safe and productive.
For staff members that do work from a desk, perhaps advise them to perform simple exercises such as wrist stretches and neck rolls to help tackle the effects of sitting for a long time.
Little adaptations such as these are simple, yes, but they can make a big difference to the overall health and wellbeing of your teams.