Zimpapers Logo

Gilson Timire Correspondent
Poor sitting posture for long periods can affect the muscles, ligaments and discs of the back and neck, resulting in neck pain, back pain, forearm, wrist, hand pain or headaches.

This usually affects office workers, computer users, till operators, technicians, drivers, students, and home-sofa users. Back and neck pain cause an enormous economic burden on individuals, families, communities, industry, and governments.

Correct lordosis (curve of the lower back) reduces unfavourable forces on the discs, ligaments, muscles, and other connective tissues.

Correct chair

An ergonomics chair ensures that the neutral curves of the spine are maintained in sitting:

(a) The seat is made of high-density form so that blood flow through the backside and back of the thighs is impeded. The seat must also be waterfalled in front to avoid pressure to the blood vessels and nerves at the back of the knees. The disturbance of blood flow to our legs can cause them to swell, while pressure to nerves can cause pain or abnormal sensation in the lower limbs.

The seat is also height adjustable to accommodate for the variation in leg lengths of the users. A safe seating position should leave the hip joint level slightly higher or level with the knee joint. This posture reduces stress in the lower back.

The seat mounted on a rotating mechanism that allows the user to turn without twisting the back and shoulders.

(b) The backrest has a permanent contact mechanism which allows recline adjustability; moulded to comfortably support the natural curvature of the spine. The backrest can be reclined between 90-110 degrees. The most ideal position is the 90 degrees position. This can prevent and manage back and neck pain.

The backrest has a tension adjustment, which can be increased by turning the knob clockwise and decreased by turning the knob anti-clockwise.

(c) The armrests must be cushioned and be height adjustable. The cushioning prevents pressure to the arms, while height adjustment accommodates for the variation in arm lengths so that arms rest with shoulders relaxed. Hard-surfaced armrest can cause pain or discomfort at the back of the forearms.

(d) The chair has five casters to ensure stability and ease in moving on the floor. The casters allow the user to be mobile around the workstation.

(e) The chair should rotate easily so the user can reach different areas of his or her desk without straining.

(f) A durability of 3-5 years.

An ergonomics chair provides good sitting comfort and can help in the prevention of back, neck and shoulder pain. Ergonomics chairs can be adjusted to suit the body size of the user. In situation where the user has a very small or very large body size, then anthropometrics needs to be carried out. Anthropometrics is simply a measure of the body size of the user.

One needs to also ensure that the chair can accommodate your body weight safety for the period of warranty. Most ergonomics chairs take up to 120kg, although special ones taking more weight can be manufactures specifically.

The ergonomic chairs usually come in canvass or genuine leather fabrics. The genuine leather fabric is more costly than the canvass type.

The chair fabrics also come in a wide range of colours to match your office furniture. The prize range for an ergonomics canvass chair is $3 800 to $4 800, while the leather type ranges from $4 600 to $5 800.

The prices are also high because most the components for the ergonomics chairs are imported. Back and neck pain are major causes of work absenteeism, high medical premiums, low productivity/profits and job errors.

Ergonomics chairs are costly, but their long-term benefits far outweigh their price. Non-ergonomic chairs come at a low price, but most of them last less than a year; provide little comfort/safety to the user and require regular maintenance. Therefore, the users of ergonomics chairs and their employers can save a lot of money by investing in ergonomics chairs.

Research has shown that office workers should not seat for more than an hour before standing up to take a short break. This gives your back, buttocks and legs a break. You can also do a few stretches to your neck, shoulders and arms.

The ergonomics chair features are based on international safety standards, ISO 45001 and ISO 7250. The body size (anthropometrics) of the user must be considered before ordering or buying a chair.

It’s best to engage an ergonomist before buying office chairs. Chair-users satisfaction levels can also be assessed by using validated qualitative scales. However, the information presented in this article can be a useful starting point

Feedback: [email protected], [email protected] or www.ergonomywellness.com.