The Ergonomic Impact
of Carpet Cushion
A Step Toward Improved
Productivity
Ergonomics involves the study of the human body at work. The
scientific pursuit to understand the interaction of a person and
his or her workplace began early in the industrial revolution
with time and motion studies. Insight gained from that work resulted
in successful design criteria for such operations as the early
automobile production lines, forever changing the way we think
about productivity. Over the years, ergonomics has continued to
grow in importance. This is primarily driven by the competitive
landscape; hence the need for increasing output while decreasing
input. In other words, the challenge is to do more with less.
"Right-sizing", restructuring, and reorganizing are
now a normal part of the corporate process. It would be naive
to think that fewer people could maintain or increase the productive
output of an organization if constrained within a status quo environment.
Rather, business decision makers must capitalize on all available
tools to create a better fit between employees, their tasks, and
the workplace.
In a survey of 200 business decision makers (100 from fast-growing
small and mid-size companies and 100 chosen from the largest 1000
U.S. companies) conducted by the American Society of Interior
Designers, 90 percent responded that improved office design
could improve productivity in their respective organizations.
The respondents identified increased employee comfort as one of
the primary areas in which workspace design has an impact on productivity.
The actions taken by the respondents to address this issue included:
- Providing appropriate
furniture and desk configurations
- Improving lighting
- Attending to
ergonomic needs
- Making the work
area more aesthetically pleasing, comforting, and inviting
With respect to the latter two, the benefits of carpet cushion
can play an important role as part of an overall ergonomic improvement
strategy.
Comfort and Beyond
It is intuitive that the addition of a polyurethane foam cushion
under carpet will enhance underfoot comfort. Scientific study
backs up this claim. Baseline research to measure the influence
of cushion on perceived comfort over the life of the installation
demonstrates the advantage of a properly designed carpet and cushion
vs. direct glue carpet [2]. However, the benefits may go
well beyond simply making the carpet feel better. There is a growing
body of research that suggests that when carpet and cushion are
chosen with ergonomic benefits as a component of the decision
criteria, the result will be a positive impact on the employees
who use the workspace. According to published research [3,4,5],
these benefits can include reduced fatigue, better balance, and
the potential for reduced injury- especially in those workplaces
where employees spend a considerable amount of time on their feet.
Dr. Mark Redfern, Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh,
has studied the influence of floor type on fatigue, balance, and
other factors. The results suggest that the addition of an appropriate
cushion under a properly designed carpet can reduce the perceived
discomfort and tiredness of persons who are on their feet for
extended periods. Workers likely to be included in this category
include nurses, cashiers, assembly line workers, teachers, and
retail sales personnel. It follows that people in nearly every
occupation may receive a degree of benefit proportional to the
time they spend on their feet. Factors such as the aging workforce,
changing social expectations about work, and rising medical costs
amplify the need for attention.
Cushion: The Payback is Productivity-
and More
Reduction of fatigue and improved comfort are important steps
towards increased productivity. Further research will add to the
understanding of the optimum qualities of carpet and cushion for
specific applications. However, the baseline of information strongly
suggests that installing a well designed carpet and contract cushion
can have significant benefits.
What is the payback? Cushion will add to the initial cost of
the installation, but the value received over the life of the
installation is a compelling basis for the purchasing decision.
Furthermore, although the cost is a one-time, up-front expense,
the benefits of cushion accrue year after year enhancing both
return-on-investment and employee satisfaction. In addition to
the many other positive aspects of carpet cushion, such as carpet
life-cycle extension through improved appearance retention, consider
its impact on the cost of fatigue. According to ergonomic consultant
and author Dan MacLeod, CPE, a good rule of thumb is that one
minute of time per day in the workplace is worth roughly $100
year. Thus, five minutes of lost time per day due to fatigue is
worth $500 per year [6]. When multiplied across the workforce
of an organization, it doesn’t take a calculator to see the
economic justification that supports the ergonomic upgrade of
carpet cushion.
Implementing a total ergonomic improvement strategy, including
the use of cushion under carpet, can contribute to increased productivity,
improved employee satisfaction, and potentially fewer on-the-job
injuries. Combined, these benefits can be a significant driving
force for the ergonomic upgrade.
References
- The impact of interior design on the bottom
line, A professional paper from American Society of Interior
Designers, 1998.
- A technical approach to characterizing perceived
walking comfort of carpet, M.A. Norton, J.R Fiest, and T.A.
Orofino, Textile Research Journal, Vol. 65. No. 9. September
1995
- The influence of flooring on standing comfort
and fatigue, M.S. Redfern and R. Cham, AIHA Journal, American
Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, Vol. 61, Issue 5, 700-708,
September 2000
- The effects of floor types on standing tolerance
in industry, M.S. Redfern and D.B Chaffin, Trends in Ergonomics/Human
Factors; Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland), 1988
- The influence of carpet and cushion in walking,
Study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh.
- How business can increase profits with good
ergonomics, a summary of The Ergonomics Edge, D. MacLeod, CPE
