Office Chair Ergonomics 101

To prevent expensive injuries in the office, business owners and managers use the science of ergonomics. The ergonomic design of office furniture reduces injury risk by adapting the work environment to fit the individual employee instead of forcing the person to adapt to the work. Businesses that apply ergonomics to their employees’ environments benefit from increased productivity and work quality. Office work generally requires spending a lot of time sitting at a desk and using a computer. This position creates stress on the spine. To avoid developing a back problem, having the support of an ergonomic office chair may help promote good posture and prevent future problems or pain. No one style of chair has been named ‘best’, but there are a few features that are important components of any ergonomic office chair that you should look for. These features will help you set up your chair for your own specific needs.

Herman Miller Celle Chairs

Chair Adjustments

Back height, seat depth and width, seat angle and arm support should all be adjustable. Adjustable seats, backs and arms will allow you to customize the size and support of your chair to fit your body. A very simple way to approach ergonomics is to look for the most adjustable chair. The goal of ergonomics is to adapt ‘objects to be better suited to the shape of the body’, and good chair adjustments are the way to make that happen.

Seat Height

The height of an ergonomic office chair’s seat should be easily adjusted. Pneumatic lever adjustment is typically the easiest and most common way to achieve this. Seat height should range between 16-21 inches from the floor for most people. The chair’s height should allow the user to put his or her feet flat on the floor with their thighs in horizontal position and arms level with the desk.

Lumbar

Lumbar refers to the gentle curves in the back of a chair. The purpose of these curves is to match with the natural curves in the human back. This curve is important to maintain because the vertical line through the center of gravity of the upper part of our body falls on the peak of the curve, allowing us to stand upright with minimum back muscle activity. Lumbar depth adjustability is an important tool for obtaining a chair that is suited for your body type. Lumbar depth affects the size, and sometimes firmness, of the lumbar support curve in a chair’s back.

Seat Width

The width of an office chair seat should be enough to support the user comfortably; this generally means about 17-20 inches of width for an average-sized adult. There are Big & Tall chairs available that can accommodate larger trunk/thigh areas.

Chair Depth

The depth of the chair should provide sufficient space for the user to sit with their back against the backrest and still leave 2-4 inches of space between the back of the knees and the seat of the chair. This can be achieved in most chairs with a sliding seat pan which changes the front-to-back depth of the seat. For a shorter user, a shorter seat pan should be used. A deeper seat pan is more comfortable for taller users.

Seat Pan Angle

Seat pan angle adjustability refers to the chair’s tilting ability from front to back. This is a fixed angle that can be set and changed by the user. This feature usually offers a forward tilt which opens the angle between the trunk and thighs, reducing disc pressure. This is different from the chair recline or tilt which is a generally a free-floating recline.

Chair Tilt

Chair recline or tilt changes the angle of the entire seat in relation to the floor. A reclined chair relocates some upper body weight to the backrest of the chair. There are two main types of chair tilt. The first is called “column tilt,” where the chair pivots at the top of the base post and the user lifts their knees slightly while the back descends. The second is known as knee tilt, in which the pivot point is in front of the post, nearer the knees. In a knee tilt chair, the knee lift is small, but the back (and head) descend more than in a column tilt chair.

Adjustable Armrests

Adjustable armrests are best since they allow user’s arms to rest and relax at the right height. Height adjustability helps to avoid the problem of too-high armrests and too-low armrests. Arm rests that are too high result in elevated shoulders forcing pressure on the undersides of the elbows and forearms. Armrests that are too low cause the worker to slump or lean to one side to use them. Elbows and lower arms should rest lightly on rests, and the forearm should not be on the armrest while typing. Height-adjustable armrests also can keep armrests out of the way during typing or other activities requiring free motion. Width-adjustable armrests are also helpful. This kind of adjustability changes the distance between armrests. Having armrests too far from the body can cause splayed elbows, which in turn cause the wrists to bend to the side during activities such as typing.

Body Support

The back of your chair should support your back without pushing you forward or causing you to lean back. In addition, lumbar support should be adjustable so that the support’s position can be changed for multiple recline positions. Arm rest height should range from below thigh level to above your seated elbow height. One of the most important features of an ergonomic office chair is lumbar support. The lower spine has an inward curve. Sitting for long periods of time without supporting this curve often causes slouching, or a flattening or eversing of that curve and thus strains the structure of the lumbar spine. An ergonomic chair should offer a lumbar adjustment of both height and depth, so that the user can properly position the support in the inward curve of their lower back.

Ergonomic chairs should have backrests approximately 12-19 inches wide. Chairs with separate seat backs should be able to adjust the height and angle of the backrest. Backrests should be able to support the curve of the spine, with particular attention paid to properly supporting the lumbar region. If the seat and back of the chair are joined, the backrest should adjust forward and back angles, and have a mechanism to lock and secure the back in place.

Ease of Use

Chair height, armrest height and the ease of any reclining features should be taken into account when selecting your chair. Each of these adjustments should be easy to make from a seated position. Some users prefer pneumatic adjustability over mechanical adjustability because they find it easier to work.

Finally, any desk chair, conventional or ergonomic, should rotate or swivel easily to allow the user to reach different areas of their desk without straining. In addition, the computer, keyboard, mouse, phone and any other frequently-used office equipment should be within comfortable reach, without strain.

Overall Experience

The chair you choose should be easy to use, look good, and feel comfortable. Chair material is something that should be considered for both comfort and aesthetic purposes. The material of the seat and back of the chair should be well-padded for comfort during long periods of sitting time. We carry the web’s best selection of office chairs, including fabric, leather, vinyl and new mesh models. Mesh chairs have the added benefit of being breathable, keeping your back cool with flexible mesh rather than insulating your body with cushioning. Seats that offer breathable fabric or mesh are better for extended periods of time.

Other Ergonomic Tips

Check with your insurance company and employer to see if you qualify for any kind of reimbursements or compensation for purchasing an ergonomic chair. Your employer may actually qualify for compensation from their insurance provider for supplying their employees with ergonomic seating. Both organizations have a vested interest in your health, and that includes your back and spine! Check with your Human Resources department to see if they can offer suggestions or solutions.

How can I tell if a chair is comfortable from looking at a picture? Look for chairs with ‘advanced ergonomic adjust-ability’. Choosing the most comfortable ergonomic chair is almost as simple as choosing the chair that is most adjustable. With more adjustments you can customize the seat to fit and support your body perfectly!

Article found on ebay Buying Guides

Furniture manufacturers stretch ergonomic standards for office workers

April 10, 2013 By Pete Daly

BIFMA, the office furniture manufacturers association, has just updated its Ergonomics Guideline to reflect the increasing size and weight of North American office workers.

The updated standards used by the manufacturers, BIFMA G1-2013, will result in some wider office chairs and increased height clearance for legs and knees, among other dimensions. The larger sizes are based on “new civilian anthropometric data,” according to BIFMA.

“Proper application of the BIFMA Ergonomics Guideline will enhance the performance and comfort of computer users,” said David Panning, BIFMA’s technical director. “The more intensive the computer usage, the more important adherence to the Ergonomic Guideline becomes.”

The guidelines were last updated in 2009, and in 2002 prior to that.

BIFMA also has been working on a Heavy Occupant Chair Standard, with office seating being tested for safety and comfort when used by individuals weighing from 253 to 400 pounds. The 95th male percentile for weight is set at 253 pounds maximum.

“Our customers, and therefore our industry, face constant change in today’s workplaces including new technologies, new ways of working, and an increasingly diverse workforce. As a result, more employers are pursuing ergonomically sound office environments as a means to improving health, safety and productivity,” said Lucy Hart, a certified ergonomist with The Global Group in Toronto, and chair of the BIFMA Ergonomics Subcommittee. “Up-to-date standards and guidelines are vital resources that guide our industry and our customers on this journey.”

The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association is headquartered on Front Avenue in northwest Grand Rapids. Since 1973, it has sponsored development of furniture specification standards, as well as serving as an advocate on behalf of the manufacturers, and the monitor of the state of the industry.

Article seen at grbj.com

25 Quotes to Inspire You to Become a Better Leader

 

Dave Kerpen

CEO, Likeable Local, NY Times Best-Selling Author & Keynote Speaker

Great quotes inspire us to change, to grow, and to become our best selves. I hope they inspire you as much as they have inspired me:

Listening

1) “When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” - Ernest Hemingway

2) “The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” - Ralph Nichols

Storytelling

3) “Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” -Robert McKee

4) “If you tell me, it’s an essay. If you show me, it’s a story.” —Barbara Greene

Authenticity

5) “I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier.” -Oprah Winfrey

6) “Authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart, and feet – thinking, saying, feeling, and doing the same thing – consistently. This builds trust, and followers love leaders they can trust.” -Lance Secretan

Transparency

7) “As a small businessperson, you have no greater leverage than the truth.” -John Whittier

8) ”There is no persuasiveness more effectual than the transparency of a single heart, of a sincere life.” -Joseph Berber Lightfoot 

Team Playing

9) “Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds.” -SEAL Team Saying

10) “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” - Helen Keller

Responsiveness

11) “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” -Charles Swindoll

12) ‘“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” - Bill Gates

Adaptability

13) “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” -Ben Franklin

14) “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” –Charles Darwin

Passion

15) “The only way to do great work is to love the work you do.” -Steve Jobs

16) “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” -Albert Einstein

Surprise and Delight

17) “A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless.” -Charles de Gaulle

18) “Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” - Boris Pasternak

Simplicity

19) “Less isn’t more; just enough is more.” -Milton Glaser

20) “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” -Leonardo daVinci

Gratefulness

21) “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” -Gilbert K Chesterton

22) “The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

Leadership

23) “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” — Peter F. Drucker

24) “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” —John Quincy Adams

25) “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” —John F. Kennedy

—

Workplace Laws to Consider When Furnishing an Office

Employers have an obligation to consider workplace laws when furnishing an office. This includes the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). This is important because failure to comply with these laws may leave an employer subject to lawsuits from employees.

To summarize, ADA specifies that an employer must provide equal access to employment opportunities to all individuals, including those with disabilities. This may mean it is necessary to purchase special furniture to enable a disabled employee to perform job functions when it is reasonable to do so. OSHA requires employers to comply with government safety and health standards which help to ensure a work environment free of dangers that can cause injury or death. Complying with these standards not only helps to prevent lawsuits, but also creates a working environment which is safer for everyone involved. OSHA also includes guidelines regarding lighting and noise levels. It might be necessary to purchase specific office equipment to meet these guidelines.

This article can be found at 
http://www.officefurniture.org/TipList.aspx?TopicID=14

Harmful Flame Retardant in Foam Furniture Absorbed by Office Workers’ Bodies

A study found traces of TDCPP, a potentially harmful flame retardant used in polyurethane foam furniture, in office workers’ urine, and in dust samples from their offices. The chemical can reduce male fertility and thyroid function.

BY ASHIK SIDDIQUE | MAR 25, 2013 08:00 PM EDT

Urine testing of Boston office workers found biomarker traces of a potentially harmful flame retardant chemical called TDCPP, which is commonly found in polyurethane foam furniture and baby products and can reduce male fertility.

Boston University School of Public Health researchers wanted to evaluate the investigate the pervasiveness of the flame retardant chemical chlorinated tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate, also known as “chlorinated tris” or TDCPP, in the environments of average Bostonian office workers.

They recruited 31 healthy adults- 26 women and 5 men- who lived in the Boston area and worked at least 18 hours per week in an enclosed office. The participants provided urine samples and dust samples from their homes, vehicles, and offices.

The results showed that TDCPP was present in 99 percent of dust samples from participants’ indoor environments, with much higher concentrations in older office buildings and vehicles than in newer office buildings and homes.

Metabolites of the flame retardant chemical were present in all the office workers’ urine samples, though they were likely to have much higher concentrations of TDCPP metabolites in their urine if they worked in older office buildings.

“Overall, our findings suggest that exposure to TDCPP in the work environment is one of the contributors to the personal exposure for office workers,” said the research team.

TDCPP was removed from children’s pajamas in the early 1980s due to concerns about its toxicity, but is still a common additive in polyurethane foam used in upholstered furniture, and in many foam baby products. As this study indicates, it can gradually leach out of products and attach to dust, easily leading to human exposure.

The human health effects of TDCPP in the concentrations found in this study are still unclear, though evidence is not encouraging. In 2011, the State of California added the flame retardant chemical to its Proposition 65 list of chemicals that cause cancer.

In vitro studies suggest that the chemical can be toxic to brain cells, and that increased concentrations in household dust were associated with decreased semen quality and reduced thyroxine in men, which can have negative effects on fertility and thyroid function. Animal studies show that TDCPP is rapidly absorbed through the skin and digestive system, and absorption is likely to be similarly quick in humans.

The City of Boston has strict fire retardant regulations for office furniture, but not for residential furniture- a difference that is likely related to the higher TDCPP concentrations in office dust samples. The researchers hope that revised furniture flammability standards could eventually reduce the need for flame retardant chemicals in polyurethane foam.

“It is currently very difficult to avoid flame retardants,” said Courtney Carignan, an environmental health doctoral candidate at BU who co-authored the study. “Hopefully, better options will become available in the near future.”

The research team advises office workers to avoid TDCPP contamination by washing your hands, especially before eating. Office buildings with polyurethane furniture should also have good ventilation and dust control, and air purifiers can help reduce individual exposure.

They offered several possible reasons for the difference in TDCPP concentrations between older and newer office buildings. Newer office buildings might have been more likely to contain newer furniture without TDCPP, or with different (possibly still harmful) flame retardant chemicals. More efficient ventilation or HVAC systems might have been more efficient in removing dust. It’s also possible that TDCPP in newer office buildings simply did not yet have enough time to migrate out of furniture.

The researchers hope to conduct more research on TDCPP exposure:

“Further research is needed to confirm specific exposure sources (e.g., polyurethane foam), determine the importance of exposure in other microenvironments such as homes and vehicles, and address the inhalation and dermal exposure pathways.”

The study was published in the journal Environment International.
Read more at 
http://www.medicaldaily.com/articles/14396/20130325/harmful-flame-retardant-chemical-furniture-office-worker.htm#YgepI1iXV2IpSL2X.99

Check out Capital Choice Office Furniture products and pricing.

Where to donate gently used office furniture?

To further our mission to support long-term unemployed professionals through fund raising, the Professional Career Development Network (PCDN), Inc. has established a furniture donation program called Furnishing Hope.

We will arrange to disassemble and pick up your gently used office furniture (cubicles, chairs, desks, etc.) at no charge to you. Our partners, Commercial Works and Capital Choice Office Furniture are experts in the office furniture business.They have the resources to make your furniture donation a simple and uncomplicated experience.

You will be provided with an itemized inventory of all items, so that you are able to place an
appropriate value on your tax deductible donation. The PCDN will use the funds from your donation to give unemployed professionals the career training, guidance and job search assistance they need to secure a new position in the workforce.

http://www.procareernetwork.org/Furnishing_Hope.html

 

Capital Choice Office Furniture Wins Customer Service Award 2013

How To Set Up Your Office For Maximum Efficiency

 Author: Ivan Dimitrijevic, Published on September 23, 2012 of Business 2 Community

Office space can be a bit cramped, especially if the company is in its developing stages or has recently branched out to a new area and things are getting sorted out in a snail’s pace – with all the permits that you need to get, rent, various bills to pay, shopping for equipment and furniture, the whole thing can be a nightmare. It can be a bit easier to tackle a problem if you start off with some kind of game plan rather than just rushing into the unknown, flailing your arms and screaming at the heavens. So here are a few tips to get you started.                                              

The reception room

This will obviously be an area where your clients will spend a good deal of their time, so it is important to keep them comfortable. A bench and some newspapers simply won’t do if you have any amount of ambition and wish to run a serious business. Reception desks come in a wide variety of designs, so going for a more adventurous look is a good thing and it won’t cost you too much. Cranked reception desks or semicircular ones with more natural lines, with colors matching the walls give of a more friendly vibe than the sharp, ninety degree angle desks. As for furniture, you really should look at furniture sets, chairs matching the desk, maybe even a small comfortable couch (not the kind in your living room, smaller and more workplace appropriate versions are readily available) and some flowers. You might need a professional at this point, if you aren’t much of a decorator yourself, but don’t go out of your way to make the place shine. You can take a few photos of your reception area and then show them to the salesman and ask him/her for advice on what furniture would be best suited. The same goes for flowers, have a nice hearty chat with the florist and get some feedback, the color, size, smell and maintenance level are all important factors that must not be overlooked. Have a fresh stack of magazines on the desk every month, and don’t just get a few random ones, actually put some thought into it and factor in the type of clientele you will likely have: a few car/gun/technology and science/movie magazines for the guys and some fashion/home decoration/health magazines for the ladies.

The slave pit

This is a colorful name for your main work area, the clustered workstations or rows of cubicles where the common folk dwell. For a creative, teamwork driven environment I would much prefer an open type office, where you have a bunch of pre-fitted workstations attached to one another in an arrangement that best suits your needs – anything from two simple rows of desks to circular, horseshoe or block type arrangements. If cubicles are preferred than panels, screens or full-fledged partitions should be used on a well mapped out area before proceeding with other furniture and equipment. A water cooler (or several depending on the size of your office) coffee machine and  a fridge  will be necessary – a small separate room equipped with a sink, cupboard, microwave oven and fridge can be provided for making drinks and snacks. Having a small snack bar, fully stacked and decently equipped, can make a great difference – it saves time on brakes and helps keep moral up. Some upscale companies include recreation rooms, or at least some recreational equipment and colorful decorations to help their workforce keep their energy and concentration levels up when working long hours. Japanese companies have a long tradition of organizing exercise brakes, ten or so minutes of mandatory exercise twice a day to ensure their employees’ health doesn’t suffer from the long hours of sitting or standing in one place – just a thing to take into consideration.

The executive area

Boardrooms, private offices and their corresponding waiting rooms need a little more thought devoted to them. Even if there are only two small offices down the hall from the main work area you need that little hall to scream style and success. More comfortable chairs are recommended for this area – the fixed base, medium back, extra foam, quality leather variety – accompanied with an elegant glass and steel desk. The offices themselves can have a bit more personal touch, so we won’t go into too many details here, just keep in mind that you want to show class and elegance, but in a subdued, almost under the radar sort of way. Yes, you have high back leather chairs and a heavy, mahogany desk, but it all seems to fit in nicely with the rest of the place. A nice long boardroom table with some comfortable medium back, leather office chairs and some flowers and paintings thrown in should be quite adequate for most meetings. If you feel this isn’t enough and you have money for a more exotic and luxurious executive area, then chances are the only advice you will need is from your highly paid team of famous interior designers, so feel free to skip this part.

So, to sum things up, the reception area should have some sunlight, flowers and comfortable office furniture, the main work area needs to be carefully planned out and arranged, but keep it simple and have most of the funds go into the equipment rather than the furniture, although some ergonomic office chairs, coffee machine and creative decorations can only help increase productivity. The executive area, or at least the separate offices will need a little more glamour but keep it tasteful and professional (unless your field is art, design or fashion in which case you can do as you damn well please and people will just assume they are ignorant and that you know better). Remember, your company should have a distinct look, something to make it stand out, but at the same time appear serious and professional.

Resource: Business 2 Community website

5 Business Lessons You Can Learn from the Oscars

By Susan Wagner at Capital Choice Office Furniture

1. Plan ahead. Visualize what you want.  Take time to write out your thoughts on how you want your business task to go.  Most people know that it’s common sense to plan ahead, but how often do you take the time to do this on a regular basis?  Do you plan ahead for events?  Yes, what about business purchases?  Picture your best case scenario.  Write down your goals and objectives.  If we took the time to do this for every important meeting or event, we may end up with a different outcome and actually achieve the results we want.  Many athletes visualize what they want to happen before they take a swing or play their game.  Oprah started a whole movement of this concept with her “Vision Boards.”  Why can’t you visualize yourself standing in front of the executives making your pitch, “wowing” them with your brilliance and knowledge?  You know the actresses think about how their dresses will appear in the magazines and if they will make the Best Dressed Lists.   

2. Do your research. You know that the actors and actresses know what dresses look best on who and for what body type – or their stylists do.  They know who is nominated in the category with them.  They know who isn’t.  They know what to talk about on camera.  Likewise, know your competition.  You should be aware of your own limitations and have resources to use if needed.  You should know what works and what doesn’t from measuring your previous results.  Use this to your advantage when working on a new business project.

3. Delegate tasks, use your team.  You can’t do all and be all to everyone.  So use your business team or coworkers to help you with your big projects.  If your company will benefit from the extra resources used of your team, then don’t hesitate and assign tasks.  Do you think the Hollywood elite come to the Oscars by themselves?  They have a team of stylists, assistants, press release specialists, and managers that all work together to prepare them for the big event.

 4. Practice may not always make perfect, but it sure helps.  Practice your presentation or discuss your event plans with your team.  Just like you did as a kid; practice shooting hoops because it may help you have a high scoring game.  Or, you may fall, like Jennifer Lawrence did, walking up the steps to accept her Oscar.  She had guys ready to help her up and you will too (although it may not be Bradley Cooper and Hugh Jackman, sorry ladies.)  People will understand what you were trying to do and have compassion for your mistakes.

The point is to get back up and dust yourself off.  Keep moving towards your business goal with persistence.

5. Emulate those who are successful.  Be an actress or actor in the role of business that you want.  People can read when people are not genuine.  But, you can “act” like you are in the business role that you want to have – to a certain extent.  Watch what works for someone else to make them successful and implement those actions for yourself.  Athletes do this all the time, by tweaking their skills based on what’s working for their competition.  If you’re not where you want to be in your career, evaluate how others might perceive you and make the needed changes to get you where you want to be.  Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.

How can I tell the difference between a cherry and mahogany finish?

Cherry trees produce a fine, uniform grain with dark wavy streaks. The grain is usually farther apart and softer than Mahogany. Cherry tends to have a red hue to it, but can be stained any color. Mahogany has a uniform grain that runs the gamut from fine to coarse. According to eHow.com , the grain is usually straight, but may produce interlocked figures such as mottles, blisters or fiddle backs . Mahogany grain runs close together and is evenly colored. The grain tends to have darker lines and it usually has a purple hue.

Cherry and mahogany woods can look very similar to the untrained eye, but have a number of differences in color, texture and growth pattern. The grain of wood pattern depends on the cut of the wood. And it’s important to note that any wood can be stained to look cherry or mahogany, so be aware of the look-alike finishes.

Don’t be afraid to buy veneered cherry or mahogany. In some instances, it can be superior to solid cherry or mahogany such as on table tops. Solid cherry or mahogany is prone to warping and cracking while mahogany veneered plywood is not.

                       Cherry                                                 Mahogany

        

[1] How to Know Mahogany Furniture Vs. Veneer | eHow.com 
http://www.ehow.com/how_8431112_mahogany-furniture-vs-veneer.html#ixzz2B4htjfn4

[2] Mottles – uneven spots.  Blisters – happen to veneer when glue fails to hold solid wood to thin veneer wood (often when moisture or heat are involved). Fiddleback – is a feature of maple in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted in an undulating pattern, producing wavy lines known as “flames”. This effect is often mistakenly said to be part of the grain of the wood; it is more accurately called “figure“, as the distortion is perpendicular to the grain direction. Prized for its beautiful appearance, it is used frequently in the manufacturing of musical instruments, such as violins and bassoons, and fine furniture. (Wikipedia)

[3] How to Know Mahogany Furniture Vs. Veneer | eHow.com 
http://www.ehow.com/how_8431112_mahogany-furniture-vs-veneer.html#ixzz2B4htjfn4