On his election trail Barack Obama pledged to improve ergonomic regulations, “we’re going to have a government that makes sure workers aren’t put at unnecessary risk” he is reported to have said. Nearly one year on from his election to the presidency of the United States little or no advances are apparent. Small wonder given the circumstances and issues that Obama was confronted with upon taking up office: from war in Iraq and Afghanistan to stem cell research, healthcare reform, not to mention a deepening global recession.

This raises the question: to what extent is workplace ergonomics forced down the agenda of employees, employers, politicians and opinion makers in tough times like these? The recession facing the world now is said to be the worst financial crisis since the “Great Depression” of the 1930’s. During 2009 we have seen businesses in all sectors fail, banks collapse (or be rescued by Governments) and a mammoth drop in economic activity worldwide.

In challenging economic conditions it is perhaps less likely that private companies will be prepared to invest in ergonomic assessments and ergonomic furniture. When considering their bottom line and where savings can be made firms might consider ergonomics to be of little significance to their overall profitability and financial health.

An alternative (and more optimistic) view is that companies, motivated by the fear of litigation, will up their game when it comes to putting correct ergonomic guidelines in place. Furthermore, the understanding, amongst some more enlightened employers, that their insurance premiums can be reduced by investing in solid ergonomic policy could motivate them to focus upon the welfare of their employees for different reasons.

Sadly the evidence available seems to suggest that the former, more pessimistic view is the most prevalent with spending on equipment like ergonomic chairs, desks and accessories suffering, along with spending on pretty much everything else right now.

As the recession bites and jobs are lost many employees are being asked to (or feel obliged to) work even longer hours than usual, increasing the need for the right ergonomic tools to be provided. In times of recession stress will inevitably be on the increase: another compounding factor that can lead to more workplace injuries if this is not recognised and counteracted. During recession an employee is surely less likely to raise his or her hand and ask for ergonomic equipment, even if he or she knows this will improve performance, for fear of rocking the boat.

It has never been more critical to have a motivated, fit and healthy workforce which is why employers should consider the long term effect of any cuts they might feel they can make to perceived “non-essential” tools for their workforce. In their report “Estimating the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions through case studies: implications for predictive cost-benefit analysis”, Goggins, Spielholz and Nothstein concluded that “successful ergonomic programmes can lead to 20% increases in productivity.” It’s a precious 20% increase that most companies have never needed more.