Abstract Physical activity is an inseparable sphere of human life, and is not rarely associated with work. Evolution has adapted man to perform various activities that meet their life needs. Man is created for walking, sitting, lying and standing. All these activities should take place in turns. Physical work should be varied in terms of dynamics and not limit people to stay in one position while performing work. The position changes, among others, to increase blood pressure, in addition, stimulates the heart and respiratory system, as well as improves the efficiency of both physical and mental work. In turn, taking only one position for a long time, which often occurs in static physical work, causes many health problems. For musculoskeletal disorders related to a non-ergonomic work position and a forced position at work, every fourth employee in Europe complains. In Poland, musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most common causes of absence at work. In Polish enterprises, the assumption that profit is the most important is still dominant. Man is rarely seen as the most important capital of an enterprise that needs to be taken care of. For many employers, all additional measures related to shaping safe working conditions are only costs, not investment and potential profit. This paper presents the effects of static physical work in relation to work safety in the light of publicly available reports and information. The review has been enriched with the results of research carried out in one of the production enterprises of the SMEs sector. The research results presented in the paper are pilot and constitute an introduction to a large research work.