Tag Archives: ergonomic office chairs

Mirus Office Chairs

The latest addition to the Ergohuman chair range, the Mirus office chair boasts the ingeniously simple single lever control which operates the three most frequently used chair functions. Seat height, seat depth and back tilt can all be operated from a single point of contact.

Mirus Office Chairs Head Rest
Mirus Office Chairs Head Rest

The design concept of the Mirus chair also incorporates a multi directional interactive neck roll which can help to relax tired neck and shoulder muscles. The 3-dimensional automatic flexible lumbar support system provides full support to the lumbar region with interactive and dynamic movement, intuitively adjusting to your needs. A ‘zero pressure’ seat cushion helps to distribute weight evenly across the seat pad to provide maximum comfort.

Mirus Office Chair 3D Headrest
Mirus Office Chair 3D Headrest

The Mirus chair is 98% recyclable, has Greenguard Indoor Air Quality certification and meets EN 1335. Available in a choice of white and aluminium frame, black and aluminium frame or all-black frame with a mesh back and fabric seat, the colour combinations are contemporary and exciting.

Mirus Office Chairs
Mirus Office Chairs

The Mirus Mesh Chair is available in three frame finishes – white, black and polished aluminium/black; with the choice of the unique MD-flex headrest, adjustable 3D headrest or headrest-free, combined with an extensive selection of coloured mesh and fabrics creating an almost unlimited variation to suit your requirements.

Mirus Mesh Office Chair
Mirus Mesh Office Chair Flexible Lumbar Support

Ergonomics

So, the ergonomic office chair has been adjusted to meet your needs: this means your weight, height, leg length, shoulder to elbow distance, and lumbar support positioning have all been addressed. Your lower arms meet your desk or keyboard at a horizontal angle and your feet are now supposed to be placed firmly on the ground. If the mathematics isn’t holding up, then a footrest can now make the numbers tally.

A footrest (or foot stand) complements one’s position, when everything else in the ergonomic environment is in order.

No longer like the footstool that Grandma used to rest her slippers on, today’s ergonomic footrest addresses the working position, adding support and control to one’s working posture during the day. And the moquette finish seems to be out too, as ergonomic footrests need to be hard-wearing, for the rigours of the working day.

For example, look at the FR11 footrest. It has a sturdy and easily adjustable frame which, when set to your needs, can take the pressure off your upper legs, alleviating sluggish circulation. This model also includes non-slip o-rings, which ensure that the footrest remains firmly at its position.

A plainer design, the sturdy We Do Trittboy footrest does what it sets out to do. The ribbed foot support ensures a firm grip and its rubber feet both stop it from slipping and protect the floor.

The HAG FR2 Quickstep has a rounded and therefore rocking base, which means you’ll be encouraging blood circulation and exercising your ankles and feet, while working. This footrest is lightweight and, when in use, feels very comfortable indeed.

If you’re looking for height adjustment, the Plum FR3 footrest has five front and three back adjustments within its all-steel construction. This functional footplate is covered in non-slip rubber, a strong material which can take some wear and tear.

It’s good that there is choice but, whichever you choose, there’s something psychologically comforting about a footrest too, which is bound to rub off on how you manage your day.

Ergonomic Solutions
Ergonomic Office Solutions
Ergonomic Office Chairs
Leg Rest office Chair

Ergohuman

When it comes to choosing the right ergonomic office chair, you can get lost in the abundance of choice but I’ve quite cleverly narrowed it down to concentrating simply on the Ergohuman Office Chair Range. They produce quality chairs, all offering the ergonomic adjustments we expect and they’re attractive chairs too.

There are three things that attract me about these ergonomic office chairs: the design, the upholstery and the colour. While the ergonomic factors are of high importance, the chair you will be sitting in for many hours a day must look and feel good too, as that ‘feel good’ factor promotes better output and that’s what many jobs are about these days.

I’ve looked at the Ergohuman Plus, the Mirus , the Enjoy and the Nefil. They all gave me the lumbar support panel, the adjustable arm rests, the height adjustment, the tilt and all can have headrests fitted. What it boiled down to for me was did I feel good in the chair and did its overall design attract me? It seems strange to say that a chair can be attractive but they can, can’t they? Otherwise, when we go to buy a dining room table and chairs, why do we spend so much time trying to get the ones that suit us most?

Getting back to those Ergohuman chairs, I knew I was always going to choose mesh upholstery, as leather takes a lot of care, as does run-of-the-mill fabric. Mesh is breathable, it hugs you while you work (and who would say ‘no’ to that?), it’s easy to care for and it comes in the most beautiful range of colours. As well as the usual black or blue, the Ergohuman ergonomic office range of chairs come in red, orange, green, white, grey and burgundy. Some of those colours are warm (red, orange, green and burgundy), while others are cool (white, grey, black and blue). I chose the orange, as it gives me the feeling of warmth, comfort and energy. Orange also gives me the feeling of hope and a bright future so, while I’m sitting in my Ergohuman office chair, I’m feeling very good indeed. If my office chair was blue, I doubt I could perform, as the colour makes me feel both cold and sad. Strange but true.

Choosing the mesh gives my ergonomic office chair a little transparency. What I mean is that I can see the back structure though the mesh and it’s this that makes me love my chair. When looking at any of the four Ergohuman office chairs that I have mentioned, I get a different image. The Ergohuman Plus gives me an image of a square driving wheel (that’s how it appears to me), the Enjoy shows a spanner-shaped structure and the Nefil shows more of an open space than the others. But I chose the Mirus, as I fell in love with that bottle opener shape that appeared to me through that wonderful orange mesh. Cider, beaches and sheer fun. Amazing.

If you need a good office chair, make Ergohuman your starting point. It’ll be time well spent. And money swell spent too.

Ergohuman
Ergohuman Range of Ergonomic Office Chairs
Ergohuman Range of Ergonomic Office Chairs

Ergohuman Eco-friendly Office Chair

The Ergohuman office chair is now Certified in the UK and is 97% Eco-friendly

The Ergohuman Elite office chair is a perfect fusion of art and science, with flex zones that ensure constant support of back and lumbar, multi-dimensional adjustable arm rests for unparalleled support and a height-adjustable pivoting headrest for full cranial support. The Ergohuman has been designed specifically for those who are in an office chair for long periods of time and require “Intensive Use Seating” for comfort.

Certified to BSEN5459 (2000) Part 2 : structurally suitable and sufficiently stable for use as an office chair for up to 24 hours a day, when used by persons up to 150kg in weight.

Eco-friendly – 97% of the Ergohuman chair is made with recycleable materials

The ERGOHUMAN chair conforms to BS 5459-2:2000 Specification for performance requirements and tests for office furniture. Office pedestal seating for use by persons weighing up to 150kg and for use up to 24 hours a day, including type-approval tests for individual components

BS 5459-2 specifies performance requirements and test methods for the structural safety and stability of office pedestal seating when used by persons weighing up to 150 kg, or when used for up to 24 hours a day, including chairs for use with tables and desks higher than those specified in BS EN 527-1.

It also specifies requirements and test methods for type-approval of bases, columns, seat actions, back stems and locking devices.

BS 5459-2 seeks to ensure that the seating will not become a danger or cause injury to users when it is used as office seating in a manner which is foreseeable

Ergohuman Office Chair
Ergohuman Office Chair
New Leather for the Ergohuman Range of Office Chairs
New Leather for the Ergohuman Office Chair Range

Ergonomic Office Chairs, Comfort and Adjustability

An ergonomic chair means that the seating matches both the person’s physical needs and job responsibilities so, to do this, it has to be adjustable.

Imagine the user – tall, short, thin, overweight, disabled in some way – adjustments need to be made to the ergonomic chair, to suit that particular worker.

The seat needs to be height-adjustable, both for leg length and body / back length. The chair should have an in-built lumbar support panel which, with adjustment, both height and tilt-wise, can be positioned to meet the person’s lumbar region and also support the natural curve of the spine. The seat itself will have a 16 to 20 inch height adjustment range, to make the average person’s feet comfortably touch the floor and pneumatic height adjustment allows for effortless change to the seat requirement. For people who have restricted growth, an ergonomic footstool will make feet to base contact successful, as the height of the chair needs to tally with the desk height.

The seat base itself should also allow for tilt and an ideal angle is for the front to slope downwards a little, as this takes any pressure off the knee joint area and thus supports continued good circulation in the lower legs. The seat density should not be too soft, as its purpose is to support your weight firmly and comfortably.

Arm height adjustment is also an ergonomic necessity, so support can be given to the lower arms, as they reach to meet the desk or keyboard. Getting this height right will go a long way to preventing hand / wrist problems, such as repetitive strain injury (RSI) and carpal tunnel syndrome. There is also an item called a wrist rest, a light-weight article which helps get that angle between wrist and keyboard right, again supporting joints and prolonging comfort.

Getting the chair right for the user will involve trial and error and, after a few days of usage, perfect settings can be reached, making sure that the ergonomic chair does what it is supposed to do. Consider, however, that after a holiday or a long period away from work, someone else may have made use of the chair, and possibly adjusted the settings.

Buying an ergonomic chair is an investment in both health and work performance. Sitting, with correct support given where it is needed, will make for a more comfortable and satisfying day of work.

Ergonomic Office Chairs
 
 
Ergonomic Office Chairs
Ergohuman Office Chairs
Ergohuman

Better Posture

If you sit poorly, it doesn’t take your muscles long to think that this position is the way it’s going to be and your muscles work alongside this bad posture, causing an imbalance in muscle support. Also, if you slouch, you are restricting digestion, circulation and breathing and your bones aren’t too happy about it either.

Knowing about good posture is very important but, whilst looking for this information, I came across a mention of how bad posture affects more than just your back.

Once the aches and pain start in places like your neck, shoulders and back, maintaining a sitting position for any length of time becomes difficult and you may have to restrict sitting to twenty minutes or so, then move around to give your muscles and your skeletal frame a change of position, before returning to your earlier task.

If you have a job that allows regular movement e.g. a shop assistant, moving and changing position is part and parcel of the requirements of the post. If you are in a sedentary job (the list is endless!), that earlier acquired bad posture and its accompanying aches and pains is going to cause havoc e.g. discomfort, irritability, distraction and concentration problems.

The truth is that we probably don’t know what good posture entails i.e. does it mean more than sitting with a straight back?

So, these points indicate a good sitting posture but that’s not the end of the story. The chair is only good for you if it’s ‘user-friendly’ in relation to the height of your table or desk, as your forearms need to reach the task in a horizontal position.

Good posture includes having your feet firmly on the floor: dangling feet and crossed legs are definitely ‘no go’ areas. Your tailbone should be right up to the back of the chair and so should your back, unless you are slanting slightly forward, in which case the line between your head, chest and pelvis should be straight (not curved).

This is where ergonomic office chairs are worth their weight in gold. They adjust not only to support your back but also to meet your height. The arm rests can be adjusted to ensure horizontal support for your hands and, together, you are sitting comfortably and working well.

There is quite a range of adjustable chairs, as each of us is different and an ergonomic chair means that the chair fits you and not the reverse! When choosing a suitable office chair, it will pay you to call on the advice of someone knowledgeable in ergonomics, to make an assessment of both your skeletal frame and the duties of your job. This will make sure that you choose the office chair that meets your needs.

Elementary, don’t you think?

Choosing an office chair is difficult, so lets start with a good all rounder. Enjoy Office Chairs are very popular as they are comfortable and excellent value for money. The best selling Enjoy Chair is from the same range of Mesh Office Chairs as the Ergohuman Office chair.
The Ergohuman is a tried and tested office chair with extra lumbar support helps to support the back thereby influencing better posture. Take a look at the Ergonomic Office Chairs for more information on the different choices

Ergohuman Office Chair with Leg Rest
Ergohuman Office Chair with Leg Rest
Mirus Mesh Office Chair Black Frame
Mirus Mesh Office Chair Black Frame

The Ergonomic Office

If you know anything about office furniture, you’ll know that we’re now in the world of ergonomics the aim is to adapt to an Ergonomic Office. In a nutshell, this means making the office environment fit you. It means looking at your personal working space, your job responsibilities and also your body frame measurements and weight, to get the ‘best for you’ as regards to working conditions.

Ergonomics
Ergonomic Office Chairs

‘Getting it right’ will cover space, light, noise and overall sitting comfort:-

Space. A good ergonomic layout will mean that your work system is organised in such a way that you don’t have to carry heavy weights over long distances, you don’t have to overly stretch and you’re not working in cramped conditions etc..

Light. Good daylight is important and, where this isn’t possible, good simulated daylight is the next best thing. Knowing what type of lighting to buy for your office space is essential. Also bear in mind that a lot of light comes from your computer screen and this is going directly towards your eyes, which isn’t a good thing, as good light should always come from over your shoulder. I would always advise getting a filter screen for your computer, to reduce that ‘sunlight’ effect which really is too bright.

Noise. We now often hear of noise pollution and, in a busy office, pollution is often the case. For example, how often have you had to speak with call centre staff and can’t hear what your contact is saying as clearly as you can hear her colleagues? In that modern-day office, false walls in the form of screens are often used, to give that feeling of private space and to somewhat reduce the effect of the overall noise.

Overall Sitting Comfort. When it comes to seating, always look at ergonomic office chairs, as these are designed to offer many adjustments, making the chair of your choice match your overall needs. The Ergohuman range has several models, like the Ergohuman, the Ergohuman Plus, the Mirus, Enjoy and the Nefil. Spend some time finding out what these chairs offer. The features include seat tilt and glide, seat height, adjustable armrests, a lumbar support region and many other useful features and there are also additional extras, such as a headrest, a leg rest and a note table. Knowing what your job responsibilities ask of you will help you decide which of these additional extras are necessary.

Overall. An ergonomically-friendly environment makes work a pleasure and the day less stressful. It’s like any job, a bad workman always blames his tools, so getting the environment right for you means success all round.

It’s simply ergonomics.

Ergohuman Plus with Leg Rest
Ergohuman Plus with Leg Rest

Ergonomics

Ergonomics – very much a late twentieth century word. It means the study of the application of biology and engineering to the relationship between workers and their environment. It may be a word you have never used nor even heard. In lay terms, it means making the working environment fit the individual’s needs.

The last twenty years has seen an increase in health and safety awareness. This covers a multitude of issues, from infection control to fire awareness and its main purpose is to identify hazards and prevent accidents. Ergonomics is much the same thing, this time looking at the working environment and how we can prevent discomfort to the body e.g. back pain, repetitive strain injury (RSI) and eye strain. A basic example might be that a woman with multiple sclerosis (MS) has to do a lot of walking with her office job and by looking at the location of her computer workstation and the reasons that she needs to walk to other areas within the building, a plan can be formulated to cut down on distances travelled. This could be as simple as moving filing cabinets closer to her computer workstation, or finding her an office closer to the filing area. Ergonomics at work

Sometimes, in the name of work, we put our bodies through assault courses:-

*stretching for files on high shelves
*shuffling under the desk, to unplug the computer.
*putting the swivel chair through its paces, so as it reach this or that.
*working at the computer, even though the office chair isn’t a suitable height to comfortably use the keyboard.

Addressing these issues and making the working environment more user-friendly is ergonomics.

I remember a case of a young and fit gentleman who did shuffle under the desk to unplug his computer, at the end of his working day. The injury that this seemingly simple task caused led to a lengthy period of sickness and the need for a workstation assessment. The assessment identified the need for an ergonomic office chair that was going to give his neck and back the support that they needed, to prevent any exacerbation to his unfortunate condition.

So, ergonomics is two-fold. For the employer, such considerations create a safer working environment and risk assessments may identify needs within particular work areas. For the employee, it creates a more user-friendly environment, making work more comfortable and injury less of a likelihood. With benefits all round, paying attention to ergonomics definitely makes sense.

Mirus Ergonomic Office Chairs
Mirus Ergonomic Office Chairs

What Makes a Perfect Ergonomic Office?

Imagine you’re sitting in a perfect office: somewhere where you have to go but you’re also pleased to be. Everyone’s idea will be slightly different, though all will contain the essentials.

A perfect ergonomic office will be light and inviting. If there’s a window close to you, the natural light will make the office feel fresh and alive. If this isn’t happening for you, then you need to invite light into the room. A standard lamp may add a touch of homeliness and you can also use angle poise lamps, to direct the light to your office desk, making reading easy, particularly on those long winter days when everything seems to be overcast. Don’t forget that view from the window. Maybe it’s beautiful, maybe it’s not, so why not hang a scenic picture on the wall in front of you, or frame a smaller version for your desk: it might not be a desk toy but it will still make you feel good.

If your office is small, make it feel bigger. This can be done by using glass office furniture, as the light passing through that beautiful crystal gives an illusion of space. However, if you’re one of those people that hoards a lot of stuff under your office desk, you’re now going to have to tidy up your act. This in itself is a good thing, as we are always being told to de-clutter our lives and getting rid of unnecessary paper will again create space. It will also make work more pleasurable, as you have now become more organised.

So, the place looks bigger, brighter and inviting. The next step is to get that office chair right. Right for you, as you’re the one who is going to be sitting in it. It’s not only the seat pad that is important, although sitting on something soft is better than something that has no flexibility. You want that best office chair to be supporting you in all the right places. The lower back of the chair matches your lower back: it’s giving support and taking some of the weight of your upper body off your own frame. Its adjustable arm rests, its swivel action and its seat pad height mechanism make sitting a more natural action, rather than an expected pose. While all of this happening, your body is relaxing and encouraging your thoughts to be in the same frame of mind. So what type of office chair? Well considering all of the above it has to be an ergonomic office chair.

For many of us, even the journey to work can be stressful, so the last thing you want is to carry this edginess through the day. Getting that ergonomic office right for you will reflect itself in the quality of your work and the quantity and that can’t be a bad thing, can it?

Ergonomic Office Chairs

Choosing an ergonomic office chair can be difficult due to the complexities associated with the functions and features available. Sitting in the correct posture while you are working is paramount and will help in the short-term and more importantly in the long-term. Once you have accepted that posture is important for a healthy back, the right chair should go further than simple ergonomic by training your body to sit correctly. Some ergonomic chairs provide ergonomic features but if you keep sitting with the wrong posture you will have the same problems prior to using an ergonomic chair.

There are 2 examples of bad practices that instantly come to mind: having a pad between you and your keyboard will force you to lean forward and you will lose the back support of the chair. Some people will even sit with one leg folded on the seat pan. Nowadays ergonomic engineering and technology is pushing new boundaries and some of the most recommended ergonomic chairs will promote a good posture simply by not letting you sit incorrectly. How do they do that? Basically, you will feel very comfortable and supported if you are sitting correctly. However if you are sitting in the position which gives you no back support, for instance on the edge of the seat, within seconds you will feel like correcting your posture because of the lack of comfort.

Once you get used to the chair, you will soon feel the benefits. After a few weeks you may also feel that the chair helps to strengthen your body. This would come from the back-rest of the chair pushing gently against your back giving you support. As a natural response your body will push back against the back-rest of the chair using your back muscles – in essence working out the muscles in your back and strengthening them.

If you suffer from back pain a good ergonomic chair combined with regular gentle/slow stretching exercises to loosen your back will go a long way. If you had back pain treatment from a physiotherapist you would have been given treatment for the problem and probably a sheet of recommended exercises to strengthen your back. For some people, when the weather gets cold and damp, aches and pains start to appear like clockwork – as if they were by direct debit. If such is the case, you should make sure you do the stretching exercises especially during that time of the year.

Then it’s back to being conscious of your posture again, key to this is the ergonomic chair. So which is the best chair for you? What else do you need to complete you ergonomic office configuration to create the perfect ergonomic working environment whether at work or at home?

Once you have the right ergonomic office chair, and the right ergonomic desk, the items you use on your desk need to come to you rather than you reaching out repeatedly all day long. Try and pause for a moment and plan how to rearrange your desk so that what you use the most is easily reachable. Do you have to reach out in an odd position to grab a pen? Do you have to twist yourself downwards to target the bin? Is your phone close enough and on the right side of the desk? Is your monitor at the right height or do you find yourself looking down and tensing your neck muscles over time? All these are considerations that will need to be addressed to create the perfect ergonomic set-up. There are also a range of ergonomic accessories which will perform these necessary adjustments to get everything just right!