When it comes to workplace flooring – especially flooring where workers stand for prolonged periods – anti fatigue mats are mats worth their weight in gold. Anti fatigue mats, often known as ergonomic mats are products that help improve the welfare of the worker who stands for the majority of their working life.
So what are they and how do they work?
They are mats made from a variety of materials – the main materials being rubber, nitrile, closed cell PVC. These mats are designed in such way way that forces the body to make constant adjustments, thus improving blood supply and weight distribution. The wight distribution also help alleviate the joints and eliminate the amount of swelling that may be caused by standing for prolonged periods without these mats.
Why should I buy an Anti Fatigue Mat?
These mats are not a fad, however they are surprisingly unknown considering their importance and role within the workplace. Without the use of these mats, you are risking potential serious health concerns to yourself or your work. The short term impact from not using these mats is that when people stand for longer than 40 minutes, their body becomes fatigued. Fatigue then leads to a lack of concentration, and that is the last thing you want for your work because a) It will slow down productivity, and B) They could be operating heavy machinery, and a lapse in concentration could lead to catastrophic effects. Short term concerns are also swelling of joints, back pain and bad posture.
Long term results of standing for prolonged periods can include to varicose veins and poor blood circulation.
Anti fatigue mats are a great solution to help reduce these health risks and boost concentration.
There are a large range of ergonomic mats and each serve a different application. Mats for use in the home are often made of gel or memory foam, and are available on the high street. People tend to use these in the kitchen when standing for a long time cooking or preparing food. While these do work to provide some benefits that they do not work in quite the same way as those designed for workplaces, and are also less durable, however they are definitely worth the small investment.
Anti fatigue mats for the workplace come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, designs and materials and make areal difference to your workforces welfare and productivity. There is a great overview of a scientific study of anti fatigue mats , which discusses the impact of standing for a long time on hard floors, and how anti fatigue mats work with your body to reduce the stresses of fatigue.
As mentioned previously, anti fatigue mats tend to be manufactured from rubber, nitrile or closed cell PVC. Nitrile is known to give extremely strong resistance, and is hardwearing – perfect for challenging environments. Nitrile is also very resistant to grease, oils, animal fats and other chemicals so will perform well in all environments. It is the most expensive material out of the 3 but it will guarantee a long life in all situations. Closed cell PVC and rubber are often combined to produce high performing, hard-wearing mats which are commonly used in production lines and at workstations. The rubber surface usually has aa design such as a ribbed pattern which helps to give added transaction to help reduce slips and trips as well as reducing fatigue.