1. The Echo Boom and Generation Y are reaching their peak reproductive years. A work station designed for an employee today may not fit in the second trimester. Because pregnancy is seen as temporary, facilities staff may ignore the issue or recommend putting up with it, despite increased risk of repetitive stress injuries due to extra fluid and weight affecting the body.

2. Significant weight gain can increase an employee’s thigh height several inches, making the desk that was per measurement too short. And unlike other physical accommodations, they may be too embarrassed to bring up the need for an ergonomic adjustment despite the work station no longer fitting their bodies.

3. Drastic weight loss can have the opposite effect. A new wardrobe or weight loss may be commented upon. However, the need to increase seat height or lower a monitor by a few inches may never cross anyone’s mind, though the neck strain from turning the head farther to see the monitor might.

4. The United States has hosted a large immigrant wave since the 1960s. For better or worse, these individuals and their children are at least 10% of the adult population and up to 20% of those under age 18. This has been partially addressed by multi-lingual signs. Unfortunately, a decade of bilingual education has frequently produced young adults who cannot read English fluently. Yet they may not be fluent in the formal version of their native language. This can create decreased literacy in both English and the “native” language of Spanish. This may be partially mitigated by having the language spoken in the workplace studied to ensure that signs in those languages are actually understood by employees. It may also be rectified by language lessons such as improving English fluency. The only thing worse than having safety signs in English only is having the multi-lingual signs that are still not understood.

5. When someone has an accident and ends up in a wheelchair, the protocol to handle the work station restructuring is easily determined. But what about sports injuries? Or knee replacement surgery? Both situations require orthotics for support until healing is done. Both scenarios are rising in incidence with a more active and repaired population. Yet the area of short term accommodation has not advanced as far as it could.