Office Chairs Overview
Avoiding workplace injury is a challenge in itself – you shouldn’t have to worry about employees experiencing pain from simply sitting at their desks! But without a quality chair that’s built to a person’s individual body types, an employee that spends the majority of work time in front of a computer increases the potential of long-term damage to the back, neck, arms, wrists, and even eyes.
The right chairs keep employees comfortable while they work and help them to stay alert and productive in the workplace. Several affordable solutions exist that look attractive and are beneficial to employees without costing a small fortune.
One of the benefits to shopping for office chairs is you can pick and choose the colors, materials, and designs that best fits your company’s image. You can select varying levels of cushioning as well as different finishes to the frame. For extra tall or obese employees, you can purchase special chairs that offer the same level of comfort and support without the risk of embarrassment. These chairs that look identical to standard chairs but have stronger components and additional features to support different body types and other employees won’t be able to tell the difference.
Think ergonomics
Ergonomics breaks down how your workplace is set up. It’s important to understand just how damaging the wrong office furniture can be for employees that sit at their desks for hours at a time. Not only can it result in physical pain for the employee, the potential for workplace injury lawsuits could be a financial pain for your company.
Here’s how ergonomics works: your body needs to be in perfect alignment with the chair. A good ergonomic office chair automatically contours to the shape and body makeup of the user regardless of body type. It will allow the user to adjust the height and depth to individual specifics to avoid neck and back pain. With the addition of padded arm rests, the employee can get additional support for increased comfort.
The type of chair you buy will depend on how much it’s used. Factory workers that will just sit down occasionally to file paperwork or take a call will have less ergonomic needs than a call center representative that spends most of the work day fielding telephone calls and responding to emails.
Office chair features
The right chair doesn’t always mean users can’t hurt themselves. There’s a bit of a give and take process to ergonomics – even the best right chair won’t help if the user slouches or doesn’t adjust the seat to comfortable levels. Here are some of the ways an employee can use the available features of a quality chair to practice good ergonomics in the work place:
Seat height: The height should be adjustable, even while sitting. The user’s feet should be planted firmly on the floor with legs kept horizontal and arms parallel with the desk.
Seat depth & width: The user must provide enough room for the user to sit against the backrest and easily adjust chair tilt mechanism.
Back support: This feature automatically adjusts the way employees sit by supporting the natural curves of a person’s lower back. With an extra wide backrest, the user can adjust the chair in a variety of angles.
Armrests: While an optional add-on for most office chairs, it provides additional comfort to the arms and shoulders and helps further reduce the chance of injury.
Chair swivel: The user can reach for items within arms’ length without straining.
Extra padding: Upholstered chairs provide additional comfort for those who sit for long periods of time. However, you must avoid excessive padding or extra soft chairs as they may not provide the appropriate support to prevent injury.
Sight level: You want to adjust your chair to be able to view the center of your computer screen while seated comfortably. This will not only protect your eyes, but your neck as well
Don’t worry if this seems like a lot to memorize. Most quality chair with ergonomic features comes with a small booklet of detailed instructions that explains how to use the available features for maximum comfort.
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