As the American workplace has shifted from farm and factory work to less physically demanding careers where Americans spend most their days sitting, major health risks have emerged.
Recent research has linked sitting for long periods of time with several health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels, not to mention chronic back pain. Too much sitting also seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Adjustable workbenches provide a solution to this growing concern. Adjustable workstations are work surfaces that can be adjusted to accommodate both sitting and standing positions. These workstations are designed to promote ergonomic flexibility and reduce the negative health effects associated with prolonged sitting.
If you manage a laboratory, manufacturing space or industrial facility, it can benefit both your employees and business to incorporate adjustable workstations in your workspace design. Here are some of those benefits of an adjustable workstation.
In an industrial or laboratory setting, there are several benefits of adjustable workstations, including:
Investing in adjustable workstations can contribute to a healthier, more efficient and more collaborative work environment. But which type of adjustable workstation is best?
Whether in an office, laboratory or factory setting, adjustable workstations provide tremendous flexibility to workers. The height of these types of workstations is easily adjustable allowing workers to move from a sitting to a standing position by using either a hand crank or a motorized system.
Adjustable workbenches essentially shorten or elongate the legs of the bench so that an employee can sit or stand at a supportive level. This feature allows employees of all sizes and heights to adjust the workbench to a comfortable level.
There are four lift mechanism options for your industrial adjustable workbench:
With a slot adjustment bench, a worker must make adjustments by raising the work bench legs and removing bolts or spacers. Because this type requires the worker to manually lift the bench, this design isn’t the most ergonomically-friendly option.
A hand crank adjustable height workbench allows workers to rotate a hand crank to lift or lower the bench. A hand crank
When cranked, the hydraulic fluid in the cylinders force the shafts in the legs to elevate. This pressure that lowers or lifts the work surface is ideal for workbenches that hold heavy loads. Hydraulic adjustable versions can often lift up to 1,000 pounds.
An electric adjustable height workbench provides some of the highest levels of ergonomic support. An employee can easily lift or lower the surface with the simple push of a button. This type can also lift heavy loads and you may be able to preset positions for convenience. This can be useful if multiple workers use the same bench in multi-shift operations.
Providing an adjustable height stand up workstation allows employees to transition from sitting to standing easily and may be one of the most effective tools in fighting the damage being caused by too much sitting.
By making it more comfortable to work, ergonomic benches can reduce lost time from work and worker’s compensation claims, as well as boost employee satisfaction.