The UK has an abundance of distribution centres up and down the country; a reflection of the online shopping boom that has gripped the nation. As fewer of us are going to the shops to pick up our own goods, we're leaving someone else to pick and pack the goods for us. Pickers and packers move around the same areas or stand at the same packing stations all day, every working day, fulfilling order after order. The majority will do so, walking or standing on cold, hard concrete floors which can lead to the following issues:
- Aching limbs and joints, such as back and foot ache
- Increase in tiredness
- Lack of concentration
- Drop in productivity
- Long term health problems
If workers are suffering directly from such issues as a result of working on cold, hard floors all day, then businesses are also suffering, albeit indirectly. Businesses will be negatively impacted through an increase in staff sickness, higher staff turnover and a drop in worker productivity. Mistakes amongst the workforce will be higher amongst those workers who are more fatigued than workers who are mentally and physically fit. This can lead to an increase in mistakes and workplace accidents, all of which will affect the bottom line of a business.
Anti-fatigue mats for pickers and packers
One large retail company spoke to us after they had witnessed their workforce putting boxes on the floor for them to stand on whilst they worked at their packing stations. The workers were complaining about having cold feet all day, which made it uncomfortable for them to stand and work. The boxes supplied some kind of relief against the cold, hard concrete floor, but they also created additional problems due to the fact they were easy to slip on or trip over.
The solution was to replace the boxes on the floor with high quality anti fatigue mats. The benefits to businesses of using anti fatigue mats in locations where pickers and packers operate are as follows:
- Alleviate workers' aches and pains due to standing all day
- Protect workers against the cold underfoot
- An increase in worker productivity
- An improvement in staff morale
An anti-fatigue mat can be used by each work station where a worker stands in the same place for long periods, such as when they're packing throughout the day. In areas where people regular move around, as they do when picking items from shelves and racking, anti-fatigue roll mats can be placed along the length of the racking and can cover large runs. If workers are regularly moving from station to station and not following regular paths, anti-fatigue mat tiles are often the best solution to cover larger areas or strange shaped areas.
The large retail company who contacted us, used anti fatigue mats by all of their packers' workstations. They found that they had the following improvements as a result:
- A reduction in absenteeism through sickness
- An improvement in staff morale
- An improvement in order accuracy and a reduction in returns
- More orders picked during the day in less time
Many businesses will realise that an upfront investment in anti-fatigue matting quickly leads to measurable benefits. The benefits begin from the moment the mats are installed and last for the lifetime of the mats. In the majority of cases where good quality anti fatigue mats are used, this is expected to be for over 5 years, at which point the mats can easily be replaced.
At Mats4U we have been selling mats for over 20 years. You can view our current range of industrial quality anti fatigue mats on our website here.
If you would like any more advice on the benefits that anti fatigue mats could bring to your business, you can contact us on 0121 313 6748 or use the Live Chat button during normal UK office hours. . Simply get in contact with us today and we'll be happy to help.
