The Benefits of Anti-Fatigue Matting

In many industries, employees are required to work while standing, walking, and/or carrying loads. Experts agree that matting can significantly improve productivity and employee satisfaction while reducing absenteeism and chronic illnesses related to long-term standing.

How Anti-Fatigue Matting Works

Standing on hard surfaces for long periods causes muscles to constrict, which reduces blood flow. This makes muscles and joints hurt, and it causes blood to stagnate. Long-term standing causes pronation, or excessive flattening of the foot and can also lead to plantar fasciitis. Lower back pain is highest in workers who stand 4 hours or more per day.

How an anti-fatigue mat works are well described in an article that was published in the April 1999 issue of “Occupational Health & Safety”, written by James M. Kendrick: “Anti-fatigue mats are engineered to make the body naturally and imperceptibly sway, which encourages subtle movement by calf and leg muscles. This promotes blood flow and keeps it from stagnating in the veins, which causes workers to feel fatigued.”

As noted by Mr. Kendrick, the cushioning effect of anti-fatigue matting allows continuous micro-movements of the feet, which minimizes blood pooling in the legs.

There is good reason to believe that the reduction of fatigue also reduces the possibility of accidents and improves general work efficiency. There are fewer days lost to injuries, fewer medical claims, and compliance with new health and safety requirements.

Too much cushioning can have a negative effect. Too much softness or “give” will actually cause excessive fatigue because it overworks the muscles. Think of it like jogging in soft sand. Notrax® floor mats are made of specific formulations and designs for the right balance of cushioning and support fatigue relief which will contribute to increased productivity and employee satisfaction.

Scientific Support

Early studies such as Morgora (1972) showed that the incidence of lower back pain was highest in those workers who stood regularly for periods of more than four hours and Bousseman et al. (1982) brought to light that long-term standing is a direct cause of pain and discomfort. Subsequent research carried out by Dr. Mark Redfern and Dr. Don Chaffin at the Centre for Ergonomics, the University of Michigan in 1988, and Paula Hinnen and Stephan Konz at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Kansas State University, 1994, made observations on the difference between standing on hard floors versus standing on soft floors. Both their studies concluded that mats significantly affect fatigue and comfort in different body regions.

More recent studies by Prof. Dr. Redha Taiar (2011, 2015, 2017) at the University of Reims in France illustrated how human mechanics in a working environment are impacted through the use of anti-fatigue mats. By observing workers' posture and measuring foot pressure for employees standing for long periods, Prof. Taiar was able to identify two causes of fatigue and therefore a two-pronged approach to combating the muscular-skeletal disorders associated with long-term standing.

Firstly, the worker should vary foot pressure while standing to eliminate the overuse of the same muscles (Cinderella Fibers). Secondly, using an antifatigue mat eliminates pressure points from the floor and spreads the weight evenly to correct balance. Prof. Taiar's findings confirmed that pains are substantially reduced with the use of anti-fatigue mats compared to the initial situation without mats.

Would you like to request a copy of Prof. Taiar's research, Standing Smart?