AFD Contract Furniture to begin offering ergonomics training and consultancy to customers

According to AFD Contract Furniture, Matt Donofrio will begin providing ergonomics training and consultancy to customers purchasing new office furniture from AFD to reduce injury in the workplace and increase productivity. AFD's new service will assist customers during furniture selection and educate corporate, healthcare and education clients' employees regarding proper and safe use of office workstations. This program allows firms to receive the full benefit of their capital investment by proactively preventing injuries before they take place. Donofrio, a certified ergonomic assessment specialist with a Master's degree in Physiology, will be representing AFD as its ergonomic specialist for new customers. Preventing Injury in the Workplace For over 20 years, Donofrio has managed 14 wellness centers at Pfizer, Inc., eight of which offered in-house physical therapy to employees suffering from repetitive stress injuries, such as carpel tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome and upper extremity injuries. These injuries are often caused by office furniture that does not provide adequate support or is used improperly. A Record of Success Donofrio's services can be explained in as little as 10 minutes and have an excellent record of successfully mitigating injuries in companies. From 1997 to the late 2000's, Donofrio successfully reduced the number of repetitive stress injuries at Pfizer's headquarters of 2,500 employees from an average of 27 reported injuries per year to nearly zero reported injuries after the company expanded to include over 6,000 employees. Moving the Industry Forward The shift toward ergonomic training is a vital step in the advancement of the office furniture industry. David Aarons, executive vice president at AFD, said, "Providing ergonomic training is a natural progression of current trends in the industry. As products are being designed with ergonomic features in mind, it only makes sense that we have an expert on staff to demonstrate to users how to properly utilize these features. We are committed to providing the greatest cost and health benefits to our clients, and Matt's services will ensure our clients get the most out of their purchases."