Facilities Management in conjunction with the Safety and Health at UWA have endorsed the following policy to subsidize 50% of the cost of replacement chairs used for office based work.
The intent of the policy is to:-
• assist Faculties/ Schools /Units with the purchase of quality furniture that complies with Australian Standard 3590 part 2, and thereby avoid cheaper versions of lesser quality. Over time, cheaper furniture does not withstand wear and tear (particularly adjustment mechanisms in ergonomic chairs).
• Ensure that chairs that are purchased suit the individual staff member, particularly if they have pre-existing medical conditions, or are of a different height/size to the average person.
• Where possible, the University’s preferred provider is used, in order to reap the benefit of bulk cost savings and a five year warranty period on the chairs.
Eligibility
The subsidy only applies for:-
• replacement ergonomic chairs provided to staff
• replacement chairs provided to post graduate students who have dedicated office space at the University
• chairs provided to new staff
• chairs provided to students with specific seating needs (following assessment by an Occupational Therapist).
The subsidy does not apply for general student areas. Student chairs that comply with the Australian Standard 3590.2 Office Chairs are available through FM for $150. This price has been negotiated with our preferred provider and is already heavily discounted.
Ordering and Accessing the Subsidy
• If needing to provide or replace a chair (as per the eligibility criteria above) if you know exactly what type of chair you need and the dimensions i.e. the seat pan size, please contact Simon Chapman with your order. Ext 1775 or email schapman@admin.uwa.edu.au
• If needing advice on the most suitable chair, or if needing to trial chairs and/or an ergonomic assessment please contact Averil Riley on ext 2784 or email ariley@admin.uwa.edu.au
• If a student or post-graduate student has a disability and has specific seating requirements, the student should be assessed by an Occupational Therapist. Please contact Rebekah Wallace from Student Services on ext 3809, email rwallace@admin.uwa.edu.au
To reduce administration, the Safety and Health arranges the purchase and subsidy directly with FM when staff have been assessed as needing a new chair by the Occupational Therapist. Areas are then required to pay half the cost of the chair to the Safety and Health via internal transfer of funds.
This policy is in effect between January 2003 and 31 December 2005.
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