Advantages of using ergonomic anti-fatigue mats

In many industries, workers have to work standing up, walking and / or carrying loads.

Experts agree that mats can significantly increase work efficiency, increase employee satisfaction, reduce absenteeism and chronic diseases associated with long standing.

Anti-fatigue mats, also known as anti-fatigue mats, have an effect that is well described in the article by James M. Kendrick in Occupational Health & Safety, April 1999: "Anti-fatigue mats are designed to cause the body to sway naturally and imperceptibly, which causes slight movement of the calf muscles and legs. This, in turn, has a positive effect on blood circulation and prevents its stagnation in the veins,

which is what makes you feel tired ”.

Standing on a hard surface for a long time can lead to many problems.

First, when you stand up, your muscles contract, which reduces blood flow. This causes muscle and joint pain and blood stagnation. Additionally, standing for long periods of time causes the feet to pronate or excessively flatten.

This is tiring and somewhat painful, and can lead to plantar fasciitis and other serious foot complications.

Lower back pain is most severe when people stand for 4 hours or more a day.

As noted by Kendrick, the cushioning effect of anti-fatigue mats causes continuous micro-movements of the feet, which minimizes blood stagnation in the legs.

This can help reduce the number of slips and falls.

The mat also protects against cold and moisture on the floor. There is reason to believe that less fatigue also means a lower likelihood of accidents

and higher overall performance. Other benefits include fewer work days lost due to injuries, lower health insurance payments and compliance with new health and safety requirements.

Too much cushioning can also have a negative effect.

Too much "softness" or too much flexing actually increases fatigue because the muscles are overworked.

Running on the beach is an extreme example here.

Floor mats are made in such a way as to increase employee satisfaction and its efficiency.

Research

Discomfort and fatigue of the lower limbs caused by prolonged standing is a frequently identified problem,

but rarely documented.

Early studies such as Morgora (1972) showed that the incidence of lower back pain was highest in workers who regularly stood for more than four hours each working day. Bousseman et al.

(1982) noted that standing for a long time was a direct cause of pain and discomfort.

Subsequent studies by Dr. Mark Redfern and Dr. Don Chaffin of the University of Michigan Ergonomics Center in 1988 and Paula Hinnen

and Stephan Konz of the Department of Industrial Engineering at Kansas State University in 1994 highlighted the difference between standing on hard and soft floors.

The conclusions of both studies were consistent: mats have a significant effect on fatigue and comfort in various parts of the body. Recent research by prof. Dr. Redha Taiara (2011) from the University of Reims (France) showed the influence of anti-fatigue mats on the mechanics of the human body in the working environment.

Observing employees and measuring the pressure of feet in people who remained standing for a long time, prof. Taiar was able to identify two causes of fatigue and develop a two-pronged approach to tackling musculoskeletal disorders associated with prolonged standing.

First Cause of Fatigue: The Cinderella Fibers The effects of prolonged standing on a musculoskeletal level begin with "training" the muscles.

In order for the body to remain upright, i.e. standing, the muscles have been automatically trained. This vertical attitude is ingrained in ours

neuromuscular system and we use the same muscles every time, unconsciously. The automatic operation of muscles is stored in our brain and implemented systematically.

The muscle fibers involved in these activities are also called "cinderella" fibers because they will keep working even when they are tired ...

This is the beginning of musculoskeletal problems (pain, contractures, tendinitis…).