Ergonomics relates to the study of workspace design and its effects on the worker.
Where a work environment has been designed with sound ergonomic principles in mind, workers are less prone to accidents, injuries, musculo-skeletal disorders and work-related stress. Amongst other things such principles should, therefore, inform the way teachers stand and sit - and indeed what they sit on. This guidance explores the issues and recommends good ergonomic practices for classroom teachers.
Many aspects of good ergonomic practice are referred to elsewhere in NUT documentation – in particular the briefings on Lifting and Handling, Working with Computers, Health and
Safety When Using Computers at Home, Women’s Health and Safety and recently updated
NUT guidance on tackling work-related stress. All of these briefings are available on the
NUT website at www.teachers.org.uk
.
This guide, however, is chiefly concerned with the question of how teachers can minimise their risks of developing musculo-skeletal disorders (MSDs) and other debilitating conditions, by examining the way in which they stand and/or sit in their classrooms.
HSE statistics show that in 2010/11 7.6 million working days were lost as a result of workrelated musculoskeletal disorders, with each person suffering taking an estimated 15 days off work in that 12 month period. Although official statistics suggest that teachers are at a relatively low risk of developing MSDs, research undertaken on behalf of the Health and
Safety Executive by ergonomists at Loughborough University in 2005, found that teachers not only considered aches and pains as “part of the job”, but one quarter of those surveyed said that they would not report these types of problems to their employer. This is despite the fact that, according to the Loughborough findings, more than 75 per cent of primary school teachers suffer ongoing discomfort and pain due to back, shoulder and neck problems.
Furthermore, a survey of primary and early years members of the NUT and Voice carried out in 2011 by the ‘Jolly Back’ 1 consultancy found that:

88 per cent of respondents had experienced back pain;

73 per cent had experienced neck and shoulder pain;

53 per cent had suffered from problems with their knees; and
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33 per cent had suffered from hip problems.
The survey also found that 82 per cent suffered from musculo-skeletal disorders once a week or more, and 38 per cent had taken time off work as a result of MSDs.
The top 3 work activities which respondents felt caused or contributed to musculo-skeletal disorders were:
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91 per cent – bending over low tables
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85 per cent – sitting on children’s chairs
1
The ‘Jolly Back’ concept was created by Lorna Taylor , a paediatric physiotherapist, whilst delivering back care education to schools and nurseries. See http://www.jollyback.com/index.php/about-us .
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
71 per cent
– kneeling at low tables/on the floor
Like the Loughborough research, the ‘Jolly Back’ survey found that that work-related musculo-skeletal discomfort in the education profession was under-reported. Reasons suggested for this included the following:

that MSDs were accepted as
‘part of the job’;
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that teachers were unaware of reporting systems in place; and
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that in some cases teachers feared jeopardising their career by making a complaint.
It is thought that this type of problem has increased with modern teaching practices.
Teachers now spend comparatively little time sitting behind their desks: they are instead encouraged to interact more closely with pupils, especially in infant or nursery classes. This results in teachers feeling that they must stoop over children at low tables or perch on tiny chairs.
Especially in early years settings, classroom chairs and tables are very much designed with the requirements
– in particular, the average size - of pupils in mind, rather than adults.
Teachers moving around the classroom providing help and support to pupils will often sit on such chairs. This will frequently result in the teacher experiencing discomfort and cramped posture – not to mention the very real risk of developing MSDs in the longer term.
OFSTED, however, has confirmed that such interaction should not be made in a way which could constitute a threat to a teacher’s health, and that being ‘on a level’ with students does not have to be taken in the literal sense.
The research carried out by Loughbo rough University found that where ‘tailored’ interventions had been made in order to improve matters, the results were very successful.
Teaching staff spending most of each day on their feet are also at greater risk of health problems including:

varicose veins;
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poor circulation;
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bunions/corns
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painful swelling in the feet and legs;
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foot problems;
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joint damage;
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low back pain;

heart and circulatory problems; and
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specific problems in the case of pregnant women, including pre-term birth, spontaneous abortions and slower foetal growth rates 2 .
Consequently, neither constant sitting nor constant standing constitutes the preferred solution to classroom ergonomics. The ideal option is for provision to be made in order that teachers might vary their work so they can sit – on appropriate chairs - or stand, walk around and so on as they see fit.
2 Dutch researchers, publishing their findings in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2012, found that women who spent long periods on their feet during their pregnancy, in jobs such as sales, childcare, and teaching, had babies whose heads were an average of 1 cm (3 per cent) smaller than average at birth.
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HEALTH AND SAFETY LAW
Employers have a general duty under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act
1974 to do all that is reasonably practicable to protect t heir workers’ health and safety. That should mean avoiding prolonged standing where alternative means of doing the job are possible, particularly if these methods are used successfully by other employers.
Regulation 11 (paragraph 3) of the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 says: “A suitable seat shall be provided for each person at work in the workplace whose work includes operations of kind that the work (or a substantial part of it) can or must be done sitting.” The law says the seat must be suitable for the person using it. It should have a footrest where necessary.
Furthermore, the Equality Act 2010 can apply in occupational health and safety settings, where employers fail to take adequate measures to accommodate workers.
SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES
NUT safety representatives should make it clear that it is neither an acceptable nor an inevitable working practice for teachers to sit, for however long, on inappropriate chairs - or indeed to subject themselves to periods of prolonged standing, bending or kneeling.
What else can safety representatives do?
There are a number of positive steps that safety representatives can take to raise awareness and improve ergonomic practices in the workplace. Safety representatives need to check that their employers are fulfilling duties under the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare)
Regulations 1992 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, by identifying and assessing risks to employees, and – where necessary – ensuring that appropriate measures are put in place to remove such risks or reduce them to acceptable levels.
In order to facilitate this, safety representatives will need to take steps to identify and monitor potential risks to the health and safety of employees. The following strategies are suggested for such purposes:
 conducting an audit of staff experiences to find out both the extent of any problem together with full details of the particular hazards being encountered – body mapping and risk mapping techniques might be helpful in this regard;
 doing a special inspection that concentrates on ergonomics in the classroom, using the checklist below;
 where applicable, calling for risk assessments to be undertaken as outlined below.
Risk assessments
Safety representatives should ask for copies of the risk assessments that the employer has done to ensure that they are preventing and controlling hazards using the best ergonomic practices identified in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.
Employers should consult safety representatives in the risk assessment process. Where prevention and control measures are in place then safety representatives should check that they are being adhered to and maintained and also they are effective in preventing injuries
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and ill health. Management should take prompt action in cases where risk assessments are inadequate or non-existent.
Safety policies
Safety representatives can also monitor the employer’s safety policy and systems of work regarding best ergonomic practices. Expert advice may need to be sought, from the local authority, the NUT, or the Health and Safety Executive.
Seating should allow the body to be comfortable and not restricted. The seat design is critical for this.
 The seat should not be too high - if a person’s legs cannot reach the ground, pressure will be suffered on the soft tissues under the thighs, which hinders the return of blood from the lower limbs, causing tingling and numbness in the thighs.
 The seat depth should allow clearance at the back of the knees in order to prevent pressure on the network of blood vessels and nerves.
 The seat back and angle should support the natural curves of the spine (in particular the lower back).
 The main weight bearing should be taken by the ischial tuberosities (the bony parts of the bottom) and the top half of the thighs.
 In addition, a chair should enable teachers to change posture at intervals, ensuring that different groups of muscles can be used for support, and that no particular group of muscles gets tired.
Checklist for safety representatives – adapted from HSE FAQs
How do I identify potential postural problems in individual classrooms?
 Talk to fellow workers and seek their views. They have important knowledge of the work they do, any problems they have, and their impact on health, safety, and performance.
 Raise awareness of the importance of all ergonomics issues, not just chairs and tables.
For example, does the whiteboard height need to be adjusted; are computer workstations appropriately set up; and is the layout of furniture in the room conducive to free movement?
 Assess the facilities for classroom seating by asking questions such as:
 do colleagues find their seating to be comfortable at all times?
 do colleagues experience discomfort, including aches, pain, fatigue, or stress?
 do colleagues have the means to sit and stand comfortably in different parts of the classroom, and can they move about the classroom easily?
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 is the classroom furniture generally fit for purpose, user-friendly and well maintained?
 are colleagues generally happy with their working environment, including seating provision?
 if not, why not?
What can I do if I think I have identified an ergonomic problem?
 Look for likely causes and consider possible solutions. A minor alteration may be all that is necessary to make a task easier and safer to perform. For example:
 the provision of height-adjustable chairs so individual operators can work at their preferred work height;
 the removal of obstacles from under desks to create sufficient leg room;
 the introduction of adjustable, portable stools for teachers to use when sitting beside children.
 Identify problems and colleagues at risk.
 Talk to colleagues and get them to suggest ideas and discuss possible solutions.
 Always make sure that any alterations are properly evaluated by the people who do the job.
 Be careful that a change introduced to solve one problem does not create difficulties elsewhere.
 Consult the HSE guidance material, ‘ Understanding ergonomi cs’ available free at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg90.pdf
.

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Further information
Further information can be obtained from a range of sources, a selection of which has been set out below.
‘Jolly Back’
Jolly Back offers:

Back care education and training

Professional advice and consultancy

Award winning and original products which provide improved posture
See http://www.jollyback.com/
Ergonomics Society
News, resources and registered consultancies at http://www.ergonomics.org.uk/
The Ergonomics Society has also created a special website which specifically addresses ergonomics in schools. It is both informative and well-presented, and can be found at http://www.ergonomics4schools.com/index.htm
.
Hazards magazine website
Information and resources on the Hazards web resource page at http://www.hazards.org
.
HSE website
The human factors and ergonomics section of the HSE website is at http://www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/index.htm
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The HSE also publishes a useful book called ‘Seating at Work’ (HSG57-rev) which can be downloaded from http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg57.htm
.
National Union of Teachers
Health and Safety Unit
October 2012
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