Training Course

Overview

Ergonomics and Physical Health in Offices is a comprehensive professional training course designed to equip employees, supervisors, managers, human resources professionals, occupational health and safety practitioners, facilities teams, and organizational leaders with practical knowledge for creating safer, healthier, and more physically supportive office environments. Modern office work often involves prolonged sitting, repetitive computer use, static postures, poorly adjusted workstations, extended screen exposure, and limited movement. This course provides a structured approach to understanding workplace ergonomics and applying practical strategies that support physical comfort, safe work practices, and sustainable performance.

The course examines the relationship between people, work tasks, equipment, workstation design, and the working environment. Participants will explore ergonomic principles, neutral postures, workstation assessment, seating, desk and monitor positioning, keyboard and mouse use, lighting, noise, temperature, movement, manual handling, and office layout. Relevant occupational health and safety principles, ergonomic assessment approaches, risk-control concepts, and practical workplace standards are incorporated to help participants recognize hazards and identify appropriate controls. The course emphasizes prevention, early identification of ergonomic risks, and practical improvements rather than relying solely on individual behavior.

Participants will engage in workstation assessment exercises, posture observation, ergonomic risk identification, movement and break-planning activities, office-layout analysis, case studies, practical demonstrations, and scenario-based problem solving. They will learn how to conduct basic ergonomic assessments, identify common risk factors, make practical workstation adjustments, improve movement habits, and communicate ergonomic recommendations effectively. The course also addresses hybrid and remote working environments, mobile workstations, shared desks, laptop use, and the challenges of maintaining ergonomic practices outside traditional offices.

By progressing from foundational ergonomic awareness to advanced workplace assessment, risk control, office design, organizational implementation, and continuous improvement, this course enables participants to contribute to healthier and more sustainable office environments. Participants will develop practical tools for workstation evaluation, ergonomic risk assessment, movement planning, workplace observation, and corrective-action tracking. The course concludes with an integrated capstone in which participants assess a realistic office environment, prioritize ergonomic risks, recommend controls, and develop a practical 90-day physical health and ergonomics improvement plan.

Course Duration

5 Days (40 Hours)

Target Participants

This course is suitable for:

• Employees and Office Professionals

• Supervisors and Team Leaders

• Middle and Senior Managers

• Human Resources Professionals

• Occupational Health and Safety Professionals

• Workplace Health and Wellbeing Teams

• Facilities and Workplace Management Professionals

• Office Administrators

• Learning and Development Professionals

• Remote and Hybrid Workers

• IT and Workplace Technology Support Teams

• Project Managers and Team Coordinators

• Organizational Leaders

• Professionals responsible for workplace safety and employee wellbeing

• Anyone seeking practical knowledge of office ergonomics and physical health

Course Objectives

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

• Explain the fundamental principles of ergonomics and their relevance to office work.

• Understand the relationship between workstation design, physical demands, posture, movement, and employee wellbeing.

• Identify common ergonomic hazards in traditional, hybrid, and remote office environments.

• Recognize risk factors associated with prolonged sitting, repetitive tasks, static postures, and poorly designed workstations.

• Understand the principles of neutral and sustainable working postures.

• Conduct basic workstation ergonomic assessments.

• Assess chair, desk, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and accessory positioning.

• Identify inappropriate workstation configurations and recommend practical adjustments.

• Apply ergonomic risk-control principles to common office tasks.

• Understand the importance of movement and task variation during office work.

• Develop practical movement, micro-break, and recovery routines.

• Apply safe computer-use practices.

• Understand the relationship between screen positioning, visual comfort, and workstation setup.

• Identify environmental factors that may affect physical comfort and work performance.

• Assess lighting, glare, noise, temperature, and workspace organization from an ergonomic perspective.

• Apply ergonomic principles to laptop and mobile-device use.

• Design practical ergonomic arrangements for hybrid and remote working environments.

• Understand shared-desk and hot-desking ergonomic considerations.

• Apply basic manual-handling principles relevant to office environments.

• Recognize common ergonomic warning signs and workplace risk indicators.

• Understand appropriate escalation and reporting procedures for workplace concerns.

• Apply practical ergonomic risk-assessment and corrective-action tools.

• Recommend engineering, administrative, and behavioral controls where appropriate.

• Contribute to ergonomic workplace design and improvement initiatives.

• Promote movement and physical health through sustainable workplace practices.

• Support ergonomic awareness without placing inappropriate responsibility solely on employees.

• Develop practical ergonomic guidance for teams and office environments.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions.

• Develop workplace ergonomic improvement priorities based on risk and practicality.

• Create a practical 90-day office ergonomics and physical health improvement plan.

Course Content

Day 1: Foundations of Office Ergonomics and Physical Health

Module 1: Ergonomics and Physical Health in Offices

Topics

1. Introduction to Office Ergonomics, Physical Health, and Sustainable Work Practices
2. Understanding Ergonomics and the Human-Workplace Relationship
3. Common Physical Demands and Ergonomic Risks in Office Work
4. Prolonged Sitting, Static Postures, Repetitive Tasks, and Workstation-Related Risks
5. Understanding Neutral Posture and Sustainable Body Positioning
6. Ergonomic Risk Factors: Force, Repetition, Duration, Posture, and Environment
7. Recognizing Early Warning Signs of Ergonomic Problems
8. Ergonomic Risk-Control Principles and Workplace Prevention
9. Practical Exercise: Identifying Ergonomic Hazards in an Office Scenario
10. Case Study: Assessing a Poorly Designed Office Workstation and Prioritizing Corrective Actions

Day 2: Workstation Setup, Posture, and Computer Ergonomics

Module 1: Ergonomics and Physical Health in Offices

Topics

1. Principles of Ergonomic Workstation Design
2. Selecting and Adjusting Office Chairs for Appropriate Support
3. Desk Height, Legroom, and Work-Surface Organization
4. Monitor Height, Viewing Distance, and Screen Positioning
5. Keyboard and Mouse Positioning for Comfortable Computer Use
6. Footrests, Document Holders, Headsets, and Other Ergonomic Accessories
7. Maintaining Neutral Posture During Computer-Based Work
8. Conducting a Basic Workstation Ergonomic Assessment
9. Practical Exercise: Workstation Assessment and Corrective-Action Checklist
10. Case Study: Redesigning a High-Use Computer Workstation for Improved Ergonomic Performance

Day 3: Movement, Screen Use, Environment, and Hybrid Work

Module 1: Ergonomics and Physical Health in Offices

Topics

1. The Importance of Movement and Task Variation During Office Work
2. Micro-Breaks, Movement Breaks, and Active Work Transitions
3. Developing Practical Workplace Movement and Recovery Routines
4. Screen Use, Visual Comfort, Glare, and Lighting Considerations
5. Managing Workspace Noise, Temperature, Airflow, and Environmental Comfort
6. Office Layout, Accessibility, Space Planning, and Ergonomic Organization
7. Laptop and Mobile-Device Ergonomics
8. Ergonomic Principles for Remote and Hybrid Workspaces
9. Practical Exercise: Designing a Healthy Movement and Hybrid Work Routine
10. Case Study: Evaluating a Home Office With Multiple Ergonomic and Environmental Risks

Day 4: Ergonomic Risk Assessment, Controls, and Workplace Implementation

Module 1: Ergonomics and Physical Health in Offices

Topics

1. Conducting Structured Ergonomic Risk Assessments
2. Workplace Observation, Hazard Identification, and Risk Prioritization
3. Applying the Hierarchy of Controls to Ergonomic Risks
4. Engineering Controls, Administrative Controls, and Work-Practice Improvements
5. Ergonomic Adjustments for Repetitive and High-Intensity Office Tasks
6. Safe Handling of Office Equipment, Supplies, and Light Loads
7. Ergonomic Considerations for Shared Desks and Hot-Desking
8. Reporting, Escalation, Corrective Actions, and Follow-Up
9. Practical Exercise: Completing an Ergonomic Risk Assessment and Action Register
10. Case Study: Developing an Ergonomic Intervention Plan for a High-Density Office Environment

Day 5: Advanced Ergonomics Programs, Workplace Design, and Continuous Improvement

Module 1: Ergonomics and Physical Health in Offices

Topics

1. Integrating Ergonomics Into Workplace Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Programs
2. Developing Office Ergonomics Policies, Procedures, and Practical Guidelines
3. Designing Ergonomic Workspaces for Diverse Roles and Working Patterns
4. Managing Ergonomic Risks During Office Relocation, Redesign, and Technology Changes
5. Building Ergonomic Awareness and Employee Participation Programs
6. Evaluating Ergonomic Interventions and Corrective-Action Effectiveness
7. Developing Ergonomic Performance Indicators and Continuous Improvement Processes
8. Creating a Sustainable Physical Health and Movement Culture at Work
9. Capstone Exercise: Assessing a Complex Office Environment and Developing an Integrated Ergonomic Improvement Strategy
10. Final Assessment, Capstone Presentation, Peer Feedback, 90-Day Ergonomics Action Plan, and Course Review