English abstract
Many companies have been struggling to minimise the number of incidents and lost work
days resulting from inadequate office ergonomics and employee behaviour at the
workplace. These issues have a direct impact on employee productivity and individual
performance. Occupational health incidents also increase the cost of medical services and
liability of companies.
This project work has focussed on investigating the impact of improving office
workstations and the one-to-one training provided to a number of employees in a local oil
company. A thorough assessment was carried out on the tools and monitoring systems
used in the workplace and how these could be improved. The data relating to the study
were collected using an online web-based ergonomics database and further details were
obtained from the participants.
The previous employee workstations setup and practices had many shortfalls and were not in line with acceptable ergonomics standards. Many employees were complaining of different types of discomforts with a severity ranging from low to high.
The outcome of the analysis clearly demonstrated that the participants have benefited
from the improvements following the modifications of their workstations and this was
evident in the reduction of the discomfort level reported by them. It was also concluded
that the awareness of basic ergonomics had a direct impact on participants lifestyles and
improved their physical conditions. It is believed as well that many employees have also
seen improvements in their work performance and individual productivity. The thesis
has also provided guideline on how continuous improvements of office ergonomics could
be achieved and recommendations were drawn in this regard.
