Matting: Can Anti-fatigue Mats Improve Worker Productivity?

Company Website

Common sense tells us that uncomfortable workers will likely be more focused on discomfort than their actual jobs. This is especially true of workers who must stand for long periods of time, such as factory workers, clerks, and cashiers.

However, does this discomfort impact worker productivity? If so, are comfortable workers more productive?
An informal investigation was conducted to study if anti-fatigue matting systems could be linked to increased productivity. 

Researchers at Compliance Magazine selected a factory that was experiencing a significantly high accident rate, along with high absenteeism among workers. Worker absenteeism and injuries were evaluated over a 12-month period prior to the installation of the anti-fatigue mats, which were developed by Crown Mats and Matting.

The investigation uncovered interesting results.

“When we compared the prior 12 months to the 12-month period of the study, we found clear evidence that the installation of anti-fatigue mats resulted in an estimated 2.2 percent increase in productivity. Fifty percent of this 2.2 percent productivity boost came from lower absenteeism, while the other 50 percent was linked to decreased down time from injuries.”