Tag Archives: office chairs

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

Height Adjustable Desks

Ergonomics is all about choosing something that fits the individual like a Electric Height Adjustable Desk Similar to choosing a suit or a pair of jeans, if the item feels good, then so do you. That’s why ergonomic desks come in all shapes and sizes, taking on board the person and the responsibilities of the job.

The height of a desk or table normally falls within 24 and 27 inches and, with an ergonomic chair, the set-up should be that the user’s lower arms lie horizontally on the armrests, to meet the desk comfortably. But a chair is height adjustable, meaning that if a tall person is sitting in the ergonomic chair, there may be little clearance for the legs under the desk and the forearms may be on a downward slope, as they reach the keyboard. It therefore makes sense that desks are also height-adjustable.

So, when the ergonomic office chair and the height-adjustable desk come together, they should be covering the following points:-

• The legs slide comfortably under the desk and the person’s feet sit firmly on the floor (someone with restricted growth may make use of an ergonomic footrest, to achieve ideal posture)

• The forearms are positioned horizontally, using the armrests for full support, so that hands meet the desk comfortably, without any need to bend the wrists unnaturally

• The monitor is placed directly in front of the user but set back at least 20 inches and its height should be such that the eyes look down ever so slightly, to read the screen. Some ergonomic desks have an extra shelf attached to the back of the desk top, on which a monitor can stand, though getting the eye-to-screen mathematics right is paramount, when making a desk choice. There are also monitor lift arms, which can mount a monitor at the right height for the individual

• The desk is not too deep, that reaching becomes an issue.

Ergonomic desks come in a variety of shapes – the normal rectangular, L shaped, curved front, rounded edges, split level and also with suspended keyboard tray. Height-adjustable tables also cater for work which is better done standing up e.g. looking at plans and pointing to information being discussed, or sorting information into folios or piles where, without that extra height, stooping would be necessary.

Working out what’s right for you may seem a bit of a challenge but, with the above information, you can see what ergonomics is all about. Like that suit or pair of jeans, you now know what you’re looking for.

Whats left is a ergonomic office chair like the Active Ergonomics Flo Chair or the heavy duty Bodybilt chair

Bodybilt Heavy Duty Office Chairs
Bodybilt Heavy Duty Office Chairs
Active Ergonomics Flo Chair from OrangeBox
 
Active Ergonomics Flo Chair from OrangeBox
Electric Height Adjustable Desks
Electric Height Adjustable Desks

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

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?

Glasses or Contact lenses?

I have been working in an office for a couple of months now and I used to wear contact lenses in my former job as a sales rep, but since I work in an office and stare at the screen all day my eyes become dry and the lenses start bothering me. Despite regular pauses, looking away to rest my eyes, I become tired more easily and my eyes start itching. I think it is because of the office air conditioning and the problem becomes worse when I work at my height adjustable desk standing up. This is why I had to give up my contacts for glasses during office hours.

I bought a new funky red frame to match my ergonomic office chair and uniform at the call centre, which hasn’t come unnoticed by the floor manager and my fashion obsessed colleagues – I am hopping that wearing the company colours will show my commitment and affect my next pay review. It’s all about perception and image. Fingers crossed.

To complete your office you need a chair, so how about a mesh office chair. Choose from Enjoy Office Chairs or Ergohuman Office Chairs

Enjoy Office Chairs

Changing Times for People Working from Home

Things have completely changed from 10 years ago, many people are now working from home full time and part time. Many home offices are squeezed into a small bedrooms, or a corner of the living room or kitchen.

The office furniture that was used then was often bony old kitchen chairs, and tables, which is simply not adequate these days to accommodate computers printers filing etc etc.
Now that more people are working from home they tend to work longer hours as they save time on the commute down the stairs. A comfortable work environment is now essential such as an ergonomic chair such as the Ergohuman Chair or the Enjoy Chair.
These chairs are excellent value and very comfortable giving you a
better posture. Go one step further with an Office Chair with intergrated leg rest…

Office Chair with Leg Rest

The desk is also so important and these days a Computer Workstation is useful to facilitate all of your home office essentials such as computers, printers, scanners, media storage and filing. The Computer Hideaway does all that the workstation does but closes up into a cupboard when you are done for the day.

Ergohuman Office Chair
Enjoy Ergonomic Office Chair

The Importance of Colours in the Office

In branding and marketing colours are carefully chosen according to the psychological effects they may have on people. There is no doubt that the colours surrounding our daily life have a direct influence on our mood and behavior. Some years ago when I was at University I was renting a room in a superb Victorian flat along Battersea Park. The room was very spacious but the owner had painted the walls in a dark deep red, which was unusual but did not put me off from moving in. However this year I became depressed and I am ashamed to say, lethargic, I think the colour had a negative influence on me. On the contrary my flatmate who had the yellow room was always happy and energized, the girl renting the blue room was relaxed and cool headed and the guy renting the dark green room was never there!

Equally, influence by colour can be used in the workplace. Companies with old and tired furnishing tend to look quite dull, compared to some of the new modern office designs , boasting bright ergonomic office chairs , modern computer desks and colourful office partitions .

The positive use of colour is well-known in young internet companies as well as design and PR agencies – this goes beyond benefiting the company’s image, it truly promotes a creative environment. Google’s offices are well known for their coloured gym balls and funky office furniture, and even one of the first on site crèche. The psychology of colour is perhaps best measured in call centres where a buzzing/fast-paced environment is best stimulated with energizing colours rather than calming ones – expert advice from an experienced office fit-out consultant will do the trick to revamp a site. As for me, as soon as I have finished the plastering, I am off to the paint shop to buy some bright yellow paint for my ergohuman office chair! Watch this space!