Short Description

Correct sitting posture is important, especially when being seated for long periods. Office chairs can promote or discourage good posture depending on the design of the chair. Chairs should be tried carefully before purchase. This is to assess their correct fit, suitability to work environment and comfort.

Method Of Use

Suggestions for persons using office chairs:
* If necessary, a footrest or footstool ensures that feet are kept flat with knees kept at ninety degrees
* Change position regularly; get up and walk around
* Use a lumbar support - preferably in built. Alternatives can be a lumbar full or half roll attached to the chair, a rolled up towel or lumbar wedge
* Elbows should rest at ninety degrees

More Details

Points to consider when buying an office chair
* Nature / purpose of work - desk style and requirements
* Swivel capacity; ability to lock the swivel mechanism
* Seat width
* Adjustability of seat height
* Ease of using gas assist lever or other adjusting mechanism
* Seat depth - adjustable or fixed
* Adjustability of back rest angle and height
* Adjustability of seat angle and of fixed or free float mechanism
* Amount of lumbar support provided - adjustability of lumbar support
* Firmness of cushioning (to help with getting up)
* Comfort and durability of upholstery
* Stationary versus mobile on glides or castors
* Stability; five star base versus sleigh base
* Height of armrests; capacity for armrests to fit under desk / height adjustability of armrests
* Padding on armrests
* Support for head or neck
* Height of backrest
* Footrest adjustability
* Lateral support for back
* Weight carrying capacity of chair

Alternate chair styles to consider:
* Kneel / sit chairs
* Draftsman chairs (no arms, drafting height range, adjustable footring)

Bariatric users
When considering these chairs, ask yourself and the supplier these questions:
* What are the dimensions of the seat and back rest? Does this suit the user?
* What specific design modifications have been made to accommodate heavier use? These may include: bulking up the gas lift, replacing gas lift with a screw mechanism (like a piano chair), customising a fixed height chair, increasing the ply of the seat base, increasing the foam density to prevent bottoming out, other materials used, no arms or adjustable width arms
* Importantly, strengthening one section of the chair does not mean the remainder of the chair will withstand an increased load bearing
* Has the chair undergone Furntech-AFRDI Level 142 testing?
* Has there been any external certification or testing? If so, by who and to what level? Are copies of the reports available?
* Has the chair undergone in house testing? If so, on how many chairs? How did they load the chair? With what weights? Compare these with the AFRDI-Furntech Level 6 and Superchair testing
* If a safe working load or load capacity is stated, how did the manufacturer devise this figure? How many chairs were assessed?

Features available on some chairs:
* Extra bolster of foam at seat front to prevent user from sliding forward
* Moulded armrests
* Individual cushion contouring

For further information, check under office furniture in the Yellow Pages.

We are pleased to receive feedback on the information we provide. If there is something we should add or need to change, please let us know. These are general suggestions - if you experience considerable difficulty in performing activities of daily living, consult an occupational therapist at a community health centre, or aged care assessment team, or make an appointment at the ILC.

Standards

Some assistive technology needs to meet Australian or other standards. Standards may relate to materials, manufacturing and installation. Products that meet Australian or international standards will have written certification. To find out if a product meets Australian Standards ask the supplier to show you the certificate. For more information about standards also see
www.ilcnsw.asn.au/home/assistive_technology/standards

Australian New Zealand Standards for Height Adjustable Office Swivel Chairs (AS/NZS 4438:1997) can be referred to when evaluating office chairs for suitability. This Standard outlines "minimum requirements for function, strength, durability and stability of the chairs". AS/NZS 4438:1997 describes four levels of durability from Level Three to Level Six, including chairs for domestic use to chairs for extremely severe conditions

Note: The Standards cover chairs suitable for ninety percent of the population. Consequently, office chairs suitable for the remainder of the population fall outside the Standards so there is no Australian Standard by which to assess these chairs.

Manufacturers and suppliers can submit their chairs to AFRDI-Furntech for "Blue Tick" certification. Furntech is an organisation that has been approved by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) to offer testing and quality certification furniture and furniture components according to the Australian Standards. It offers Blue Tick Certification for Level 4, 5 and 6 height adjustable swivel chairs.

Furntech has developed a testing protocol for chairs designed for the bariatric population. AFRDI Standard 142 Office Chairs for Heavy People (Superchair) is designed to identify chairs suitable for users up to 200 kg. The objective of this standard is to ensure that an height adjustable swivel chair will fail safely. It does not attempt to outline specific requirements of these chairs as the Australian Standard does. When a chair passes this standard, it will be listed on the Furntech website under their list of accredited products. It is important to note that this is a Furntech standard, not an Australian Standard

When purchasing an AFRDI-Furntech approved HASC, consider:
* The dimensions of the seat and back rest. Does this suit the user?
* To what level has been the chair certified?
* Ask to see a copy of the certificate or for a report number
* The date of certification (lasts for three years before the chair needs to be reviewed and re certified).
* Has the chair has been modified since certification?. If Furntech are not aware of changes, certification may no longer be valid.

Note - A list of HASC and their supplier contacts which have received Blue Tick Certification can be found on the Furntech website indicating models, test levels, test dates and report numbers.

Some suppliers sell HASC for heavier users or customise chairs for specific users. When researching off the shelf chairs, remember that the Australian Standards do not apply to these chairs and that AFRDI-Furntech Level 6 approval does not indicate how the chair is suitable for heavier users. If the chair under consideration is to be customised or modified, any discussion of AFRDI Furntech approval is no longer relevant as certification only applies to chairs made according to the tested design