Ergonomic Flooring: Stay Healthy and Comfortable on the Job

Ergonomic flooring will give you more flexibility and likely cost less than placing individual mats or mat rolls at workstations.

We arrive at a factory with churning, grinding machinery. Dim, sickly lighting overhead. The machines are constructed of steel and say nothing on them. To the untrained observer, it is nearly impossible to tell if they have been turned on, let alone what they are there to accomplish. One solitary worker operates the machines. He spends much of his day singing to himself while he wanders the corridors, going to one machine, inspecting it, and going to the next.

What is ergonomic flooring? Where can I find it? Do I need it? We will attempt to answer these questions in this blog.

Ergonomic flooring is used primarily in industrial applications to improve worker comfort while standing and walking. The strain of spending many hours on a hard floor can take a toll on the legs and the feet. A popular solution to this problem has always been to install ergonomic mats in front of workstations. The mats provide a thick layer of cushioning for workers at a single workstation. For workers who get up and move throughout the day, however, this isn't a practical option -- they won't be spending the majority of their time in a single spot. Ergonomic flooring offers the same benefits of ergonomic matting but with improved flexibility.

Ergonomic flooring tiles come in squares that are either 18'' or 12'' long. They fit together snugly so that they will not move when in use; but can easily be disassembled later, moved, or reconfigured. Installation is easy and requires no tools. Ergonomic flooring tiles can also be customized with optional ramps and side bevels.

We offer many kinds of quality ergonomic flooring, made by Wearwell. For wet applications, we suggest going with an "open grid" tile; open grids will allow liquids to drain through. For dryer applications, you may prefer a solid tile. We also offer Wearwell ergonomic flooring tiles with or without GRIT SHIELD technology. GRIT SHIELD adds an extra layer of traction to the tiles, which is especially helpful in environments that can become slippery.

There is a little bit of math required to determine how many ergonomic floor tiles will be required. We recommend drawing a map of the area you need tiled and determining the square footage. You can then multiply this number by 144. This will tell you how many square inches you need tiled. Once you know this, you can divide by either 12 (for the FIT tiles) or 18 (for the ErgoDeck tiles).

We're also glad to help you make the assessment. Just send us the dimensions of the area or give us a call with any questions.