Ergonomic Assessment

2007 Assessment Statistics

During 2007 Healthywork Ltd conducted in excess of 350 Ergonomic Assessments. An audit has been conducted to establish what the most common recommendations have been.

An Audit of 50 random cases was conducted during 2008 by reviewing the assessment reports.

42% were found to be sitting too low to the desk and the work tasks they were performing. The chairs were raised to the correct height, depending on the gas stem height adjustability of the chairs.

20% had no arm rests on their office chair. For 22% the arm rests were too far apart for their build and another 20% were not using their arm rests, as they were incorrectly positioned.

Therefore 62% were not gaining necessary forearm support from chair arm rests.

For 18% the lumbar support was not at the correct height. Another 8% did not have lumbar support available on their chair.

90% of the individuals required an alternative model chair and of those 32% required a more specialist chair than their own chair supplier could provide.

26% needed their monitor screen raising to the correct height, once they were sitting at the correct sitting height to the desk.

44% needed to move their keyboard and mouse closer so that they were sitting and working in a better posture.

76% required a sliding writing and reading work surface which could be moved over the keyboard so that all of the work tasks were at the correct height and directly in front of them.

20% of the cases were a follow up assessment, after having had an initial assessment. Therefore equipment had been provided and the follow up was to ensure they were set up correctly and review progress. 

About Healthywork Ltd Director Alison Biggs

Following qualification as an State Registered Occupational Therapist (SROT) with BSc (Hons) from Oxford Brookes University in 1993, and registering with the Health Professions Council (HPC) Alison worked within several healthcare fields and developed a special interest in Pain Management, with a focus on the treatment of Back Pain in 1995, whilst employed by a leading NHS Trust.


Since then she has become increasingly involved in the treatment of work related illnesses such as upper limb, neck and back disorders.


In 1998 Alison was involved in a government funded New Deal project for Musculo-skeletal conditions. Her main focus was to help people get back to work who had been off sick or unemployed due to back pain, neck pain, wrist pain etc. This was a most rewarding project and due to government interest, had a high profile within the healthcare industry. She helped employees in a variety of industries return to work, including in those the car manufacturing industry, the telecommunications industry and also leading national banks and building societies. It was and is crucial for the employer and the employee to be supported by a healthcare professional in these circumstances.



Today more employers recognise the value of looking after their employee's health at work. Most recently Alison has been employed by another large London NHS Trust as a Back Care and Manual Handling Advisor, assessing the musculo-skeletal health of all employees in the trust; from the nursing and other medical staff through to the desk-based staff working on computers all day. All staff require education and training to look after themselves and assess the risks in their working environment, and help and advice to find practical day to day solutions.


Alison keeps up to date in this expanding field taking an active role in several organisations, such as The British Association of Occupational Therapists, BackCare (the Charity for Healthier Backs), the RSI Awareness organisation and The Ergonomics Society. She is also an active member in the OT Work Practice & Productivity (OTWPP) and belongs to the OTs in Independent Practice (OTIP) both specialist sections of the College of Occupational Therapists. She is also a member of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association (VRA). 


Alison has spoken at Back pain prevention conferences for the British Dental Association, lectured on Vocational Rehabilitation at the National Back Exchange Annual Conference and to other groups of health professionals and helped update texts on Back Pain Treatment.


Our Associate Practioners


Healthywork Ltd employs a number of associates who are all highly qualified in this field and their own areas of expertise. These professionals can conduct assessments, treatment and training as required.