Never before had the green-eyed monster been so apparent amongst our mates. The reason: we had been invited to view the new workspace of Foggy Petronas Racing. Now our mates are not exactly office interior connoisseurs, or even faintly interested in the topic if the truth be told. The source of their energy comes from the fact that the visible face behind the company is Carl Fogerty. That's right you motor racing fans - the legend Carl Fogerty.

For the uninitiated we will explain: Carl Fogerty recently retired from a glittering career that consisted of racing very powerful motorbikes very quickly. In fact, so quickly that he might as well have changed his name by deed poll to Superbike World Champion Carl Fogerty. The four times world champion's racing career came to a premature end following a horrific crash at Phillip Island in 2000. The question was, what was next for Carl Fogerty. "I think it's no secret that when Carl had to stop racing after the crash at Phillip Island he thought very seriously about what he wanted to do next," Sue Taylor, Foggy Petronas Racing's special project manager told us. "He obviously wanted to find something that could give him the same buzz as racing." The formation of a new racing team with a new bike design, was a sure fire answer. Not only would this give the new owner that sought-after buzz it would be the talk of the motor racing world as a whole.

Putting that together with a major sponsor like Petronas, who have agreed a five-year sponsorship of the team, is quite unusual for this sport. Sue continues, "We've put probably the biggest name in bike in Carl together with an enormous company that has the financial backing to produce such a project - and we hope this has to be a winning formula."

And that ultimately is what it's all about folks. Foggy Petronas isn't out to compete - it really is striving to keep the name of Carl Fogerty at the top, and also to break the stranglehold of Carl's old chosen vehicle, Ducati. In order to acheive this, the team needed a perfect working space in terms of workshop and supporting environment.

The impressive new facility lies on the outskirts of Burton on Trent, just a 10 mile drive from Donnington Park (unless you're Foggy Petronas driver Troy Corser or James Hayden, in which case astride the new Foggy FP1 you could probably do the trip in less than 5) and also just a short distance from Silverstone. Basically, Burton is slap bang in the heartland of British motor sport.

With a suitable location sourced, the team set about transforming the shell of the newly constructed unit. "We started off with 10,000 sq ft footprint on the building," Sue explains, "the majority of which has to be workshop of course. This is why we put in the mezzanine - to get the office space and to take it away from the workshop. The office was never going to be that large so we've had to make extremely good use of it."

"The space was almost dictated by how much we felt that we could take off the workshop, then it was a case of dividing that space up. Obviously we were working with the architects Rothera & Goodwin, who were wonderfully supportive when it came to getting the layout and the design of the office right. They also had to make quite a few changes - some at quite a late stage - and stayed very calm throughout the entire process. We managed to put together a good team."

Sue goes on to tell us that the process behind the design of the interior very much mirrored the project as a whole. "The office design was undertaken by Paul Richmond, who at all times kept us informed of developments and design ideas and provided an extremely efficient service, managing to shoehorn the whole office team into an extremely small space with room to spare. Foggy Petronas Racing began occupation of the site on 15th April, just eight fasttrack weeks later the job was complete. The team was trying to complete in six to nine months what others would struggle to acheive in two years, meaning that the working environment had to be perfect."

Reproduced with permission of Mix Interiors magazine.

Ten years ago businesses laughed at suggestions of a workplace injury called RSI but with some 2000 individuals winning compensation in 2001, "few are laughing now" says Paul Richmond.

In our increasingly litigious society there has never been a more important time to make sure that work places are safe and ergonomically compliant.

Compensation claims can result in a minimum payout of 10,000 GBP, whilst the biggest sum awarded to date is 244,000GBP.

The past decade has seen many new workplace directives introduced regarding VDU usage. These cover everything from the amount of space each person has to the type of chair they sit on and the closeness of the screen. Employers are legally obliged to provide chairs that are stable and adjustable in height and tilt - footrests must be available to everyone who wants them. Desk surfaces must be low reflective and large enough to place the VDU at a legal minimum distance, as well as offering enough flexibility to change position.

Employers are either unaware or unsure of the legal obligations and leave themselves vulnerable to legal action. Two important pieces of legislation to consider are the workplace (health, safety and welfare) regulations 1992 and the health and safety (display screen equipment) regulations 1992, as amended by the health and safety (miscellaneous amendment) regulations 2002. The latter states that employers have an obligation to assess the potential risks to VDU users, rather than waiting until a complaint is made before investigating.

The problem employers are faced with when choosing furniture is that people vary so much in height, weight, shape and health. Everyone from pregnant employees to those with a history of back and musculoskeletal disorders must be considered.

A good solution is to choose height adjustable and tilting desks and chairs. Scandinavian countries have used adjustable furniture for years. but UK employers have been slower to adopt these practices as the initial capital outlay is higher than for a fixed height option. Of course, the budget is a vital element but choosing the correct products at the outset will provide longevity and compliance which will still be relevant a long time after the current crop of employees move on.

Most importantly it is essential to decide the specification of your furniture needs before you make a decision on cost and not to be too consecutive when it comes to choosing more unusual designs. These are often excellent orthopedic choices.

Several points that should be borne in mind when choosing office furniture.

• Identity and special needs of employers first
• Decide the specification before cost
• Consider the height adjustable desks and chairs
• Make sure the furniture incorporates safe provision for cabling
• If in doubt, call a proffesional

Workplace Worries

In the UK, the numbers of preventable musculoskeletal and RSI disorders are rising, with employers footing big bills amounting from lost production and compensation pay-out. An increase in legal action is a wake-up-call for employers to improve thier workplaces, and has led the Government to undertake a study into the growing litigation and compensation culture.

Office workers spend more than 90 per cent of their working time in a sedentary position. Bad posture puts the muscles; bones and cardio-vascular system under twice as much strain as when we sit upright. The consequences are physical and mental strain and back disorders, which severely restrict motivation and output and can lead to irreversible damage to health.

The latest HSE survey of self-reported illness indicates that in 2001/02 1,126,00 people in Great Britain suffered from a musculoskeletal disorder which they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work - a higher rate than in 1998/9

And then there's the compensation, The TUC estimates that approximately £2 billion a year is being awarded to workers suffering from RSI and musculoskeletal disorders, stress and other work-related injuries.

The availability of no-win no fee legal representation means more employees are willing to take grievances to court. In recent years, individual payout amounts for these disorders alone have ranged from around £8,000 to a massive £244,000

The Economic Cost of RSI's

• 1 in 50 of all workers in the UK have an RSI condition
• 5.4 million working days were lost in sick leave due to RSI last year
• Every day, six people lose their job due to an RSI condition
• The cost to UK industry is between ¬£5 billion and ¬£20 billion annually
• Dealing with the impact of RSI conditions accounts for between 0.5 percent and two percent of gross national income
• One large employer found that the average cost of retiring an employee on medical grounds was ¬£40,000

Compliant

Paul Richmond, a workstation and seating environment specialist from a Nottingham based company, believes there has never been a more important time to ensure workplaces are safe and compliant.

"In recent years we have seen many new workplace directives regarding VDU usage with regard to work-situations", he said. "These apply to everything from the amount of space each person has to the type of chair you are sitting on and the closeness of the computer screen.

We have already witnessed a dramatic rise in litigation against employers for workplace injuries and unless more employers realise their responsibilities and invest in ergonomic furniture and seating and train there staff in operating procedures, this will continue."

A study into the impact of legal action is currently being carried out by the Government's Better Regulation Task Force to see whether the threat of litigation encourages good practice or has a detrimental effect on organisations.

Speaking at its launch, CBI Director-General, Digby Jones, said: "Certainly the threat of legal action can focus companies' attention on their obligations and people should be able to safeguard their rights but business needs protecting from abuses.

"A growing have-a-go mentality means too many claimants are launching dubious cases in hope of a pay-out. This creates a huge burden for companies who often find it cheaper to settle out of court even when right is on their side. This is fuelling huge rises in business insurance costs. Over 40 percent of all insurance payouts go on legal costs, this is unacceptable."

"There is a fine line between access to justice and system abuse. I hope this study adds to pressure for action to ensure that only genuine cases go forward."

Directives

Employers are bound by many workplace directives including health and safety legislation, fire officer approval, building regulations, VDU regulations, seating regulations, wiring cable management and DDA regulations.

One vital piece of legislation to consider in the case of office workers is The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 as amended by Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2002

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations state that:

Screens must have a clean, stable image, with adjustable contrast and brightness, be able to tilt and swivel and be free of reflective glare.

Keyboards must be tiltable and separate from the screen. Space in front of the keyboard must be sufficient to provide support for users hands and arms. The surface of the keyboard must be of low reflectance. A document holder must be provided that is stable and adjustable. Work chairs must be stable and allow freedom of movement. The seat back must be adjustable in both height and tilt. Footrests and wrist rests must be made available to users who want them.

Workstations must be dimensioned and designed to provide sufficient space for the operator to change position and vary movements.

The Regulations also give detailed instruction on lighting, reflection and glare, workstation noise and heat, radiation and humidity. The full act and amendments can be found at www.hmso.gov.uk.

When adhered to, these drastically reduce workplace injury, however the RSIA say many employers are neglecting to carry out basic risk assessments and provide the right furniture.

Richard Southorn, Information officer at the RSIA said "Appropriate furniture and the arrangement of furniture are absolutely vital factors as good ergonomics prevent injury. Workers must be comfortable and we recommend adjustable desks and chairs that can be adapted to suit different people."

"The biggest mistake that we come across is employers who don't carry out proper risk assessments for staff. Often new personnel are trained in office procedure but their workstation is ignored and problems are left to worsen.

"Employers must take action early and make sure IT and health and safety staff are aware of their responsibilities. Prevention is the key as it is far more costly to ignore workstation assessments and specific furniture requirements. One US study found that for every $1 invested in prevention, $17.8 was saved."

Specification

One problem employers face when arranging workstations is that people vary so much in height, health, weight and shape.

Everyone from pregnant employees to those with historical disabilities must be considered

Owen Tudor, TUC Health and Safety Advisor, said: "The ideal workplace is a combination of good workstation, appropriate workload and a good general working environment.

"Companies often buy their workstation furniture on the basic of price, rather than looking at its functionality and who is going to be using it. we often come across the view that 'a chair is a chair' and so isn't worth spending much money on."

"At the other end of the scale, we see companies who order the best furniture that money can buy, but it ends up as a waste of money because they haven't talked to staff to see if it is suitable, either for the intended task, or for the people who are going to use it."

"The ideal situation is an employer who takes the time to consult with its unions and employees to discuss the company's furniture needs from a users point of view," he explained.

Paul Richmond concluded: "Employers must decide the specification of furniture and buy the appropriate ranges, rather than buying the cheapest or the one the supplier makes the biggest profit on.

Scandinavian countries have used adjustable height seating for years, but UK employers have been slower to adopt these practices as the initial captial outlay is higher than fixed height options.

Choosing the correct products at the outset providing the correct training in their use will provide you with durability, longevity and compliance, which will still be relevant long after the current employees have moved on.

When Choosing Furniture

• Identify any special needs of employees first
• Decide specification before cost
• Make sure that furniture incorporates safe provision for cabling
• If in doubt, call the professionals

For other information on RSI and musculoskeletal disorders visit:

• www.hse.gov.uk
• www.tuc.org.uk
• www.rsi.org.uk