Three Posture-Related Features To Remember When Shopping For Office Chairs
Posted on: 23 November 2015
Ordering new office furniture for your office should be about more than just selecting a style that meets the overall design of the space. With the chairs, especially, you can have an opportunity to ensure that your employees are not only comfortable during the workday, but also less at risk of back injuries. One out of every five work-related illness or injury is related to the back; even sitting in an uncomfortable or poorly designed chair can lead to an injury
Adjustable Height Of The Seat
Proper seated posture starts from the ground up. To sit correctly and minimize the risk of a back injury, an employee should be able to sit with his or her feet flat on the ground and the legs bent comfortably. An adjustable-height chair permits every employee, whether short or tall, to make the necessary height adjustment to allow for this seated position. Office chairs today commonly have a lever situated beneath the seat that allows the user to raise and lower the seat height, but you should always make sure the chairs you plan to order have this feature.
Ability To Adjust Arm Supports
Just as being able to raise or lower the seat height is important for healthy posture, so too is being able to adjust the chair's arm supports. If they're too high, the employee will have to hold his or her arms higher than is natural, which can lead to the risk of muscle pain in the upper back. If they're too low, the employee risks having to sit in an awkward position just to allow the arms and elbows to make contact with the supports. Check to ensure that your prospective office chairs have a knob on each side that allows for the arm supports to slide up and down.
Adjustable Lumbar Support
For the user to maintain a proper curve of the back while seated, an office chair should feature a lumbar support knob. When the user sits on the chair and reaches down to turn this knob, he or she will feel the lower part of the chair's back support move in or out. The user can then turn the knob, as needed, until the chair pushes gently on his or her lower back in a comfortable way. Ensuring that your office chairs provide lumbar support can reduce the risk of back soreness and, ultimately, a back injury.
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