How anti-fatigue mats can benefit your business

While most work environments recognise the importance of workplace safety and have some health and safety procedures in place, there are many unique and innovative solutions to workplace risks that many people still don’t know about. These risks are often left unaddressed and even underappreciated as a serious health concern at work.

Perhaps one of the best examples is anti-fatigue mats. Fatigue from jobs that require long periods of standing is often gone untreated as a serious health concern and as such anti-fatigue mats are still little known in many industries, yet they could save many businesses in absenteeism related costs as well as protect the workforce.

What are anti-fatigue mats

Fatigue mats use innovative material and manufacturing to create cushion mats designed to reduce illness and injury typically related to fatigue. Fatigue is usually caused by roles that require long periods of standing such as working long shifts on an assembly line in a factory. Standing for these long periods can have a serious impact on a person’s feet, legs and even back, all of which can become strained and, in some cases, seriously injured from this type of continuous stress.

As well as reducing fatigue-related injuries, today’s anti-fatigue mats have also been designed to help a wide range of different work environments. You’ll find mats with anti-slip surfaces as well as other materials designed to reduce shattering, resist heat, electrical insulation, chemical and oil resistant and much more. Each mat may be able to help in one or more of these areas to suit a variety of industries and work environments. This means they can also reduce everyday accidents such as slippages or spills.

The main benefits of anti-fatigue mats

With the purpose of anti-fatigue mats designed to improve safety by reducing illness, injury and everyday accidents at work, there is unsurprisingly a wide range of benefits to introducing them into your own work environment.

Legal requirements

By law in Ireland, it’s down to businesses to make reasonable adjustments and provide the relevant training and equipment to keep their employees safe at work. This includes reducing accidents and some of the more obvious safety concerns at work, particularly in higher-risk industries, but should also include the less obvious but just as important stress-related risks at work.

Fatigue, stress and burnout have also affected a rising amount of people and today they are just as likely to occur as accidents. Jobs that require long periods of standing are a prime example of this as these roles can cause psychological fatigue and stress as well as having very real physical consequences as well. Anti-fatigue mats can, therefore, help companies to achieve their legal duty of care requirements, protecting them from both accidents and other illness and injury.

Happier workforce

Of course, looking after the wellbeing of your workforce shouldn’t just be about legal obligations. As the driving force behind business success, it should also be considered a moral obligation to ensure everyone is feeling their best. Morale can also deteriorate over time if your employees feel their safety isn’t taken seriously in the workplace. Investing in equipment like anti-fatigue mats promotes safety at work so your employees know their wellbeing is taken seriously and helps to cultivate a culture of safety in the workplace.

Reduce costs

Accidents, injury and illness are all notoriously costly and can significantly impact a business's bottom line if not dealt with properly. Absenteeism has hit headlines over the years as it continues to increase and cost companies all over the world millions. While there will always be some degree of absenteeism, rising figures have highlighted that many companies aren’t doing enough to combat these problems to the detriment of their own profits.

Time off from stress or injury, especially statutory sick pay for more serious ongoing illness, costs companies in wages and loss of work. Over time, if left unaddressed, these problems can result in high staff turnover which additionally costs businesses in sourcing and replacing their skilled workforce. Anti-fatigue mats can help reduce costs associated with injuries at work as well as time off from fatigue-related illness.

Increase productivity

As well as reduced costs, minimising absenteeism from injury and illness also means your workforce is actually in work. Combined with less time spent with dealing with accidents and safety risks, anti-fatigue mats could significantly increase productivity in areas that require long periods of standing or with high-risk roles such as those dealing with chemicals. With the right safety protocols in place such as ensuring workers get regular breaks, you’ll find many can carry out their tasks much more efficiently.

Get the benefits of anti-fatigue mats

Shop our full range of anti-fatigue mats today and realise the benefits in your own workplace. Our anti-fatigue mat finder is perfect for helping you find the right mat for your work environment whether you’re just looking to protect your workforce from fatigue or are looking to reduce accidents in areas handling liquids and chemicals.