How to Set Up an Ergonomic Office: Chair Edition
How to Set Up an Ergonomic Office: Chair Edition How we set up our office space plays a crucial role in our overall well-being and productivity. The office chair takes
8 Important Chair Parts to Consider When Selecting an Office Chair
If you work in an office, you may be sitting for most, if not all, of your workday. A survey conducted by the corrective lens company Acuvue found that office workers spend an average of 6.5 hours sitting. In a year, there are approximately 1,700 hours of sitting.
However, no matter if you sit for more or less time, as long as you have a high-quality office chair, you can protect yourself from joint pain and even improve your work efficiency. You will be able to work more efficiently without back pain and other musculoskeletal diseases (MSD), which are common diseases for office workers.
When selecting an office chair that is good for your health, you need to consider the following 8 important chair parts.
Office Chair Headrest
As mentioned above, there are medical reasons why you need a headrest for your personal situation. Those suffering from acute neck or back pain will find greater benefits in using a chair with a headrest.
The neck pain you may suffer may be caused by poor posture due to the constant strain of sitting upright without the need for support. If you are working in a reclining position, the headrest may also be a more comfortable choice for you.
When looking for a headrest, it is best to choose a height-adjustable one; up and down and in and out.
Office Chair Seat Pan
Over the years, manufacturers have begun to use different materials to produce office chair seats, each with unique characteristics.
Some of the most common materials for making office chairs include:
- Genuine Leather: The genuine leather office chair is composed of tanned cowhide or sheepskin, which is soft, cool, stylish and durable.
- Fauxleather: Although faux leather office chairs look and feel like genuine leather, they are usually made of other materials, including synthetic or organic fabrics.
- Vinyl: Vinyl office chairs are soft and comfortable. And because vinyl is a synthetic fiber, they are inherently waterproof and resistant to other liquids.
- Mesh: When sitting on a mesh office chair, you will stay cool and comfortable. The mesh seat pan allowsheat from your body to escape, thereby ventilating your body while you are working.
- Nylon: Usually used to make mesh backrests. Nylon is another material for making office chairs. The nylon office chair is cool, breathable and lightweight.
- Plastic: The cheapest option, plastic office chairs are usually used in waiting rooms that require a lot of chairs.
- Wood: The oldest material used to make office chairs is wood. Wooden office chairs are strong and attractive, and there are countless styles to choose from.
Ergonomic Executive Office Chair 828A
Executive Office Chair 820-1A
Executive Office Chair 893-1A
Ergonomic Executive Office Chair 872A
Lumbar Support
When choosing an office chair, we better choose one with a lumbar support.
Some people may ask why. Because they think that back pain only occurs in laborious work, such as construction or manufacturing. But actually office workers are often most susceptible to this kind of MSD. According to a study of nearly 700 office workers, 27% of office workers experience new instance of low back pain every year.
In order to reduce the risk of low back pain, choose an office chair with lumbar support. Lumbar support is essentially the padding or cushioning around the bottom of the backrest and it supports the lumbar area of the back (the area of the back between the thoracic and the pelvic area). It can stabilize your lower back, thereby reducing the pressure and tension on the spine and its supporting structure. There are 3 types of lumbar support, which can satisfy people’s different needs.
The armrests allow you to rest your forearms while sitting at your desk or workstation. Without armrests, your forearms will have nowhere to rest, which will increase fatigue and the risk of MSD.
For desks and workstations, armrests are an essential feature of office chairs. In other areas of the office, including break rooms and waiting rooms, armrests are optional.
Office chair armrests should have the following characteristics:
- Soft cushion material
- Long and wide enough to support your forearms
- Adjustable height from 7 to 10.5 inches from seat
- More functions, such as left and right, front and rear.
- The armrests can also release back pain, not just hand pain.
Fixed-height office chairs are usually 17 to 19 inches high from seat to floor, allowing most office workers to use them comfortably in front of desks and workstations. However, not all office workers have the same height. If you are too tall or too short for a fixed-height office chair, sitting in it may compress your back or neck.
We recommend choosing an office chair that can be adjusted from 15 to 22 inches in height. And that means you should be able to lower the seat to only 15 inches above the floor or raise the seat to 22 inches off the floor. Chair gas cylinders will help to proceed. Whether you are short, tall or of medium height, this allows you to use your desk or workstation comfortably.
However, most office chairs will not drop to 15 inches, so you may have to adapt to 17 to 21 inches. For reference only, this measurement is usually measured from the floor to the top of the seat cushion.
There are reclining and non-reclining office chairs. And their difference comes from the tilt mechanisms used.
For maximum comfort, the reclining office chairs will be recommended because they allow you to lean forward or backward as needed.
The seat and backrest of the office chair with a synchro tilt mechanism are linked and tilted synchronously as the user tilts backward. You can perform regular stretches during the working day without standing up. It allows you to lock the backrest to the tilt position you want. Simply unlock the backrest, tilt it backwards until you find the most comfortable and best position, and then relock. Once locked, it will not tilt forward or backward, allowing you to use the office chair in the current position as you like.
Office Chair Synchro Tilt Mechanism NBA005B
Office Chair Synchro Tilt Mechanism NB003
Office Chair Synchro Tilt Mechanism NG012D
Office Chair Synchro Tilt Mechanism NB007
You will find that most office chairs have a load-bearing capacity of 200 to 250 pounds.
The good news is that some office chairs are designed for heavier workers. They are called large and tall office chairs, which have a stronger structure and provide higher load-bearing capacity. The large and tall office chairs have 300, 400, and 500 pounds of load-bearing capacity. The most important chair component to carry such a heavy object is the chair base.
The base of a 5-leg chair is the most stable. Generally, the larger the diameter, the more stability the base provides.
Most office chairs are designed with wheels, called casters, which allow you to roll and rotate while sitting on the chair.
For example, if you have an L-shaped desk, you can scroll or rotate between different areas of the desk.
If you have a computer in one area of your desk and a writing desk in another area, then you can move quickly between these areas without standing up sitting on an office chair with casters.
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