ERGONOMA/ConfoSeat (2nd edition) «nesting at work»
|
Although work is inevitable, pain at work is
|
|
After the « cocooning » for housing, we are now faced with «nesting ». But don't get it wrong, this tendency is more and more a worker claim for their work places, and is often what marks the difference between a « good » and « bad » company. Today, workers are subject to such pressure concerning efficiency and productivity that companies must bear in mind not only the technical factors, but above all the human factors and organisational means for making their personnel loyal and developing better performance.
|
This is not a tendency, but harsh reality. If in the heart of the European Union, 28% of workers state that they suffer from stress (repeated muscular and skeletal pain are a factor that aggravates stress) related to work, more than 50%* of absenteeism is caused by stress at work, costing at least 20* thousand million Euros a year in work time lost and in health expenditure, without adding the costs caused by downtime. How does one spend 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 40 years in a painful universe that multiplies migraine, eye, back and neck pain, reduces the number of interventions in the Carpian canal syndrome, causes muscular and skeletal traumas and places the smallest handicap in a « ghetto ». Only in France, the Afnor NF X35-121 standard applied to tertiary sector work posts indicates that « it is desirable that the work post might enable changes in the height of the keyboard, the height, position and inclination of the screen, the height and position of the document support, and the same for the work plan, of which the height must be 73cm’±10cm). As regards implementation, screens should not be placed facing or with their back to glass bay windows, respecting a minimum distance of 1.5 metres between the screen and the nearest window. For a 15 inch screen, the eye distance must be between 50 and 70 cm. » As regards the size of the premises, there is also a standard in this respect : the Afnor X35-102. Here it talks about useful m² :
9m² for an office occupied by 1 person
32 m² for an office occupied by four people.
If the workers are not enclosed to isolate them, the minimum space must be at least 4 metres ».
As can be seen, the organisation of a work place involves the study of the comfort not only of the furniture, but also of the whole work post. Maximum comfort will give optimal productivity.
This is what the ERGONOMA/ConfoSeat 2004 exhibition will strive to communicate for 3 days.
The United States and Canada will be present, and also Germany, Belgium, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Holland, Poland, the United Kingdom and Sweden and Switzerland, all making a dynamic presentation of ergonomic materials, services and procedures
aimed at industry, the tertiary sector and health professions.
At the same time, a training pole will be set up aimed at those responsible for health and safety at work, prevention counsellors, work doctors and nurses, ergonomy specialists, architects and designers, human resource managements and general means, heads of companies and groups wishing to acquire knowledge for the better analysis of work places and posts and choice of material. The aim : to develop health prevention, combat ill-being, bad stress, muscular and skeletal traumas, in order to improve the social climate of the working universe to increase competitiveness in European companies. In 3 days, at least 38 sessions with simultaneous translation in French / English / Dutch led by European experts in cognitive and applied ergonomics (see http://www.ergonoma.com programme).
The exhibition has been supported by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the Direction Générale de l'Humanisation du Travail du Service Public Fédéral Emploi Travail et Concertation sociale of Belgium, the Federation of the European Ergonomics Societies, the Belgian Society of Ergonomics, the Fédération Française de Santé au Travail, and the Mensch und Buro Akademie. It will be opened by Madame Kathleen VAN BREMPT, Secretary of State for the Organisation of Work and Work Wellbeing in Belgium. Germany will be the guest of honour. Because it proposes a global offer : material, services, measurement and analysis, prevention, professional organisations, institutions, administrations and formations, based on a European scientific council (http://www.ergonoma.com ); this exhibition is unique in Europe. ERGONOMA/ConfoSeat 2004 focusing projectors on a single idea:
Although work is inevitable, pain at work is not. Entrance free by invitation. Exhibition accessible for the disabled. Free pre-registration to visit and registration at the training meetings on www.ergonoma.com by
email info@confoseat.com or by fax on +33(0) 237 440 450
Espace Rogier (Pyramid)
2B, place Rogier
1000 BRUSSELS
|
|
PansyShell Communication Nicole Peyronnet-Le Martin |
|
|
|
