Office chairs – make sure they’re fit for purpose
May 6, 2009
Back problems are one of the biggest causes of sickness absence in UK workplaces, and an awful lot of these problems are actually caused by the workplace. In offices, this can be related to the office chairs provided for staff that sit at desks all day.
The set up of the desk space is very important in ensuring workers avoid any strains due to sitting uncomfortably or having to reach unnecessarily for long periods of time. Chairs need to be height adjustable so that the arms rest comfortably on the desk and the worker does not need to ‘shrug’ their shoulders to keep their arms on the desk.
Also, the worker needs to be sat back in the chair so that their back is supported – which is something I have a habit of not doing, as I tend to lean forward in my chair and sort of perch on the end of the seat – and hence I often have a sore lower back at the end of the day. If the worker is sat back in the chair, the seat should fit underneath the desk so that the elbows are comfortably resting on the desk. If the chairs have arm rests, this may be a problem for taller people as they will have the seat higher and therefore the arms will cause a barrier to putting the seat under the desk. Chairs should therefore have height adjustable arms – or no arms at all, because if the worker can rest their arms on the desk they should not need chair arms.
The worker needs to be able to plant their feet on the floor when the chair is at the correct height. If, like me they have short legs they may have difficulty reaching the floor, which can be resolved with a foot rest.
Checking that office chairs are fit for purpose is an important part of a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessment, which should be carried out by a trained professional in an office environment.
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