Are You Still Sitting Comfortably?

Is Your Chair Due a Service?

Office chairs can often be taken for granted and not given a second thought until they become broken or shabby and ready for replacement. New technology can steal the limelight with all the latest ‘must have’ advancements, but your task chair is the real workhorse of a workstation and, most importantly, it’s the very thing that supports you; it should provide you with long term comfort.

 

Many people become attached to their ‘personal’ chair and over the years it becomes so familiar that they come to accept those little idiosyncrasies like; sticking gas stem’s that simply won’t rise, or backrests that no longer lock in place (or are seized and

won’t budge at all!) – like a pair of comfy old slippers, we continue to use them until they fall apart.

Apart from not actually being good for our well-being, with a little planning and observation you can maximise your original investment in quality seating through regular maintenance – computers get updates and patches, and you certainly wouldn’t drive your car without regular servicing, so why don’t we consider doing the same for a piece of essential equipment with moving parts that we sit on for 8-12, or even 24 hours per day.

 

Handy guide

 

To spotlight early problems and help you look after that most essential ingredient to a happy workplace, we have some basic checks you can complete to ensure your chair is fully functioning and safe to use.

Basic standards for a computer chair:

• Incorporate a 5 star base for stability
• Swivel
• Have seat height adjustment
• Offer back height adjustment
• Have a ‘Back Rake’ angle movement
• The back rest should move independently from the seat pan

These standards allow the chair to be adjusted to fit the user.

What to look out for  

Visual Checks

There is no need to worry about having to give the chair a full M.O.T yourself. Simple checks can be done on the chair which may then raise flags about the condition of the chair, enabling you to bring in the experts.

But first of all, do you know how old the chair is, or what the make/model is? There should be identifying stickers underneath the seat, but take care if tipping the chair to view.  (It may be much older than you realise and you may need to financially plan for a replacement)

Particular things to check for would be;

• Be aware of unwanted movement. When sat with your back against the backrest, if you rock from side to side, is there any excessive movement in either the seat or the backrest – does it feel secure
• Are the controls stiff or seized? Can you easily adjust the settings
• Does the gas stem (seat) sink over the course of a day
• When you come back to your desk, has the chair raised on its own
• If there is a headrest, does it stay in place or continually slip down.
• Is the fabric worn? Foam no longer giving any comfort.
• Are the castors all in tact (either the castor, or the area it plugs into the base may be broken)
• If you have a seat slide/seat length extender does it lock firmly into place

Gas Lift Check

• When sat on, does the chair drop noticeably?
• Is the raising of the seat still smooth and fluid?
• Has the gas stem become fixed? (usually at the lowest setting)

 

You can go to our Website for a fuller explanation, as well as our self M.O.T checklist.

We hope that this short guide has been helpful but if you would like an expert view just drop us a line

or call 01639 844500