There is a huge selection of ergonomic office chairs on sale in South Africa. So what is an ergonomic office chair and how do you choose one that best meets your needs?
We are all different and buying an ergonomic office chair is a ‘very personal thing’
1. What does Ergonomic actually mean?
Office Ergonomics is about designing office equipment to suit the people using it. This means that the chair, desk, monitor, keyboard etc, are designed and setup to reduce or prevent the user from suffering unnecessary fatigue, stress and injury. Office ergonomics is sometimes known as human factors engineering.
Computers and related products, such as computer desks and chairs, are often the focus of ergonomic design. Many people use these products for extended periods during their normal working day. If they are poorly designed or incorrectly adjusted, they can have a detrimental impact on the person using them.
2. How does Ergonomics relate to sitting and your office chair?
At the beginning of the last century, people realised that the wellbeing and efficiency of employees could be improved, and fatigue reduced, if workers were allowed to sit down while performing their tasks. This contributed to the study of ergonomics and a focus on designing chairs for work. Today more than 75% of employees in industrial countries have seated jobs. How to Protect Your Health in the Age of the Office Chair.
Unfortunately, our bodies are not designed for sitting, and doing so for long periods can have a negative impact on our long-term health and wellbeing. The most common health-related issues caused by sitting for extended periods include:
3. How does Ergonomics effect the selection of your office chair?
To determine what ergonomic features you require of an office chair, you need to consider these three element first:
a. Your body shape and size
We are not all the same height, we do not weigh the same, our arm and leg lengths are different, and so the list goes on. With this in mind, purchasing a chair for yourself becomes a very personal thing as the chair needs to meet your physical requirements. As an example, if you are very tall, a ‘standard’ chair may not be suitable for you.
Not only must the chair match your physical size and shape, but it should also take into account any special requirements that you may have.
For example, are you suffering from lower back pain, muscle strains, tendonitis, etc? Does the chair suit these special needs? Do you require a heavy-duty or an Orthopaedic office chair?
b. Workstation setup
Your workstation is critical when selecting a chair. How high is the workstation? Can the chair be adjusted accordingly? Is there sufficient space below the desk or table to accommodate your legs? Can you place for feet in a comfortable position? Is your movement restricted? What is the correct height for my desk, computer monitor and office chair?
c. The task you perform
What work do you perform at your workstation? For example, will the chair be used in an office, laboratory, factory, home office or a 24/7 call centre? Will it be used by a single person or will there be multiple users? What desk or table will be used? Do you have to perform physically demanding tasks like lifting objects at your workstation?
Only once you understand your physiological shape and size, workstation setup, and finally the task that you need to perform, can you select the correct ergonomic chair.
Ergonomic office chairs in South Africa and elsewhere, are adjustable and are designed to accommodate most people, viz. 90% of the population. The shortest and tallest 5% of people may need custom-made chairs. When it comes to chairs, there is no one-size-fits-all.
When it comes to ergonomic office chairs on sale in South Africa, look for ones that have multiple adjustable features.
4. Features of an ergonomic office chair
With all the possible adjustments, there is a chance that the chair may be setup incorrectly. Unless you have some prior knowledge, correctly setting up a chair that has all the adjustable features like seat height, backrest height, backrest angle, lumbar support, seat depth, armrests, etc, can be quite daunting.
Get professional help to setup your chair if you have an underlying medical condition. An incorrectly adjusted chair may aggravate the condition, or cause additional complications. Contact us for advice.
5. Ergonomic office chairs from Karo
We have a broad selection of ergonomic office chairs that we sell to clients throughout South Africa. Our products can be split into two main categories, namely executive and task chairs. In general terms, the executive chairs have a higher backrest than the task chairs. To be classified as ‘ergonomic’, our office chairs meet the following important criteria:
6. Conclusion
How to select the best ergonomic office chair from all those available in South Africa, requires a basic understanding of office ergonomics. The chair must have the necessary adjustment features you require for your workspace setup. An ergonomic office chair will only be of benefit to you if it has been adjusted correctly for your specific needs.
A chair becomes ergonomic only when it specifically suits a person’s size (body dimensions), their particular workstation, and the tasks that they have to perform.
Revised: 28 August 2021
Author: John Karle
Director at Karo Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd
