Office Ergonomics - Improve Workplace Productivity | OHSA

Office Ergonomics Assessments and Workstation Setup

Prevent chronic pain, reduce absenteeism, and optimise your team’s workspace.

Poor posture and poorly designed workstations silently drain your company’s productivity. In fact, Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are the leading cause of workers’ compensation claims in Australian offices. OHSA provides comprehensive office ergonomics assessments to identify physical hazards, adjust existing equipment, and recommend scientifically backed workstation solutions. Furthermore, we train safety professionals to manage these biomechanical risks internally.

Book an Ergonomic Assessment: 1300 647 200

The Silent Hazard of Poor Desk Ergonomics

You do not need heavy machinery to suffer a severe workplace injury. Under the WHS Act, employers have a strict legal duty to provide a safe working environment, and this explicitly includes managing the physical layout of administrative workstations.

Unfortunately, simply purchasing expensive office chairs does not solve the problem if employees do not know how to adjust them. Consequently, prolonged sitting, screen glare, and awkward reaching cause repetitive strain injuries (RSI), severe lumbar pain, and chronic tension headaches. Therefore, our certified ergonomists conduct precise, individualised workstation assessments. We eliminate the guesswork, ensuring your workforce operates comfortably, and your business remains fully compliant with WHS legislation.

Our Office Ergonomics Solutions

We deliver targeted, evidence-based biomechanical assessments to protect your workers and boost daily productivity.

1. Individual Workstation Assessments. First, we would like to observe your employees at their actual desks. Specifically, we evaluate their seated posture, screen height, keyboard placement, and lighting conditions. Next, we make immediate physical adjustments to their chairs and monitors during the consultation, instantly reducing their biomechanical strain.
2. Sit-Stand Desk & Equipment Consulting. Not all ergonomic equipment is created equal. Therefore, before you spend thousands of dollars on new office furniture, we provide independent advice. We assess exactly which employees genuinely require sit-stand desks, vertical mice, or specialised lumbar supports based on their specific medical history and job tasks.
3. Remote Worker & Home Office Audits. Your legal duty of care extends to the home office. We’d like to point out that we offer remote ergonomic assessments via video link for your telecommuting staff. We guide them through setting up their home workspace safely, ensuring they remain legally protected even when staff work off-site.
4. Corporate Ergonomics Training Seminars. You cannot assess every new desk instantly. Ultimately, the best defence is education. We deliver engaging, interactive seminars to your wider team. We teach your staff how to adjust their own equipment, recognise the early warning signs of muscle fatigue, and implement effective stretching routines throughout the day.

Build Internal Capability: Master Manual Handling

Would you like to know how to identify physical hazards and design safer administrative workspaces internally? OHSA bridges the gap between expert consulting and elite WHS education.

As a Registered Training Organisation (RTO 31092), we teach the exact risk management frameworks our allied health consultants use in the field. Upgrading your qualifications empowers you to confidently manage complex human factors.

• Provide Manual Handling Training: Learn the foundational principles of safe movement, posture analysis, and biomechanical hazard identification.
• Diploma of WHS: Gain the advanced skills required to evaluate enterprise-level safety frameworks, manage workers’ compensation claims, and implement ergonomic controls across large corporate offices.

View WHS & Manual Handling Courses

Industry Insights & Regulatory Standards

To ensure absolute accuracy and legal protection, OHSA bases all ergonomic assessments on established biomechanical science and peak industry standards:

• Safe Work Australia: We align our corporate ergonomics policies directly with the national Code of Practice for Managing Hazardous Manual Tasks.
• Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of Australia (HFESA): We conduct our physical hazard assessments following the rigorous scientific and ethical standards championed by the HFESA.
• Comcare: We utilise federal guidelines to help businesses manage the specific ergonomic risks associated with flexible and home-based work arrangements.
• WorkSafe Queensland: We cross-reference your compliance directly with state-specific WHS legislation to ensure complete local regulatory protection against MSD claims.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• What exactly happens during an ergonomic assessment? During an assessment, a certified ergonomist observes an employee working at their desk. They evaluate the height of the chair and desk, the distance to the monitors, keyboard and mouse placement, and lighting. They will then physically adjust the equipment to fit the user and provide a report recommending any additional equipment that may be needed.
• Are sit-stand desks actually better for you? Yes, but only if used correctly. Alternating between sitting and standing reduces the sustained pressure on the lower spine and improves circulation. However, standing all day can cause foot and knee pain. Therefore, we recommend a strict routine of transitioning between sitting and standing every 45 to 60 minutes.
• Is an employer responsible for an employee’s home office ergonomics? Yes. Under Australian WHS law, if you approve an employee to work from home, that location becomes a recognised workplace. You retain the primary duty of care to ensure their home workstation is ergonomically safe and does not expose them to injury.
• What is a Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD)? An MSD is an injury that affects the human body’s movement or musculoskeletal system. In an office environment, this typically includes carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, tension neck syndrome, and severe lower back pain caused by prolonged poor posture.