The choice of office chairs can seem overwhelming, even daunting. At PRS we are committed to ensuring that you have the ability to choose the right chair for yourself.
We have produced this guide to explain the terms and let you understand what is required:
Seat Height – The seat height is the height at which the seat cushion sits, on almost all operators chairs this will be adjustable to allow taller or shorter people to achieve the correct posture.
Seat Depth – This is the depth of the seat cushion, shorter people need a smaller seat cushions, Taller people need a larger one. As a rule of thumb there should be 5 open fingers between the front of the seat cushion and the back of your knees.
Backrest Height – This is the height of the backrest, this determines where the backrest sits on the users back and what support is provided to the shoulders and neck when leaning back. You should look for a chair with a curved back so the support sits in the small of your back.
Lumbar Support – This is an additional feature which provides extra support to the users back.
Arms – Chairs should have height adjustable arms, this allows the user to use the chair as an extension of the desk to support their forearms and reduce pressure, some chairs feature 3D and 4D arms to provide additional flexibility.
Headrest – Can support the neck when leaning back, if you are sitting correctly you should not require a neckrest unless you have a special medical need.
Seat Tilt – A good office chair should feature seat tilt to move with your body and provide support as you move during the day.
Seat Tension – This effects how much force is needed to move the seat, smaller people will want less tension, larger people will want more tension, a manual tension adjustment means that people will need to manually adjust the tension, self or auto tension means that the tilt will react to the users weight.
Fabric Band – Most of the time a band 1 or 2 fabric will be suitable for office use 8 hours a day, if your chair is being used 24 hours a day you may need to request a 24 hour fabric to ensure it doesn’t wear out from repeated use. Special fabrics such as vinyl and leather are likely to be a higher band.
Mesh Back – These backs are increasingly popular as they allow you to regulate your temperature more easily and prevent sweaty backs.
Foam – Not all foams are created evenly, cheaper foams are more likely to wear out and degrade with use, more expensive foams such as cold cut foam will last longer and make your chair more durable.
This is just a brief guide to some of the features to consider, we have trained DSE specialist who can advise you on the exact nature of what you require and provide some recommendations on suitable chairs.
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