Everything you could possibly want to know
about seating, without the jargon!
Here’s a
thought, staff spend almost as much time in an office chair as they would in
their own bed! It would be lovely to do
your job from a nice comfy bed but until we are all allowed to replace office
furniture with bedroom furniture, we need to make chairs as comfortable as
possible. Every person has different
requirements from a chair, it may be the type of job they do or perhaps they
need support in a certain area and manufacturers understand this. You can now
adjust and shift almost every element of a chair to suit you. A breakdown of all the types is as follows:
Chair Types
Executive/Managers Chairs (suitable for 8-10
hours use)
Larger
chairs with tilt action movement.
Operator Chairs (suitable for up to 8 hours
use)
The best
all-round type of chair with the maximum number of adjustable features (as
detailed below).
Ergonomic and 24/7 Chairs (suitable for up to 8
hours use)
Seating
containing additional lumber support and/or heavy-duty mechanisms to allow for 24
hours use.
Multi-Purpose Chairs (suitable for a few hours
use)
Designed
for occasional use, for example desk-side, visitor, meeting room or training
room use.
Reception Chairs (suitable for a couple of hours
use)
For use in
the reception area.
Industrial and Specialist Chairs (suitable for
up to 8 hours use)
For use in
demanding environments, such as factories or warehouses. This category includes specially designed
chairs such as checkout chairs, draughtsman chairs and factory/factory lab
chairs.
Stackers (suitable for a few hours use)
A number of
these chairs can be stacked on top of each other for easy storage. Useful in
canteens, libraries, schools and meeting rooms.
Fold Flat Chair (suitable for a few hours use)
Folds flat
for easy storage.
Kneeling Chair (suitable for up to 8 hours use)
Designed to
distribute body weight evenly and encourage correct posture.
Chair Features
Adjustable Lumbar
Lumbar
support can be individually moved to provide maximum support to the lower back
region.
Inflatable Lumbar
A pump
which allows the user to inflate the lumber support to suit.
Seat Height
Height is
adjustable to support individual user.
Back Height
The back of
the chair is height adjustable to suit the individual user.
Fixed Arms
Arm rests
are fixed to chair seat and unmoveable.
Tilt Action
Allows for
a rocking motion on executive chairs. Can be locked in the upright position
when not required.
Tilt Tension
The tension
of the tilt is adjustable to suit individual user.
Lock Tilt
A single
lever will adjust the seat height and tilt of the chair which can be locked or
free float (tilt naturally with the body).
Synchro Tilt
Similar
rocking motion as above, but seat and back rock in ratio to each other (when
the back tilts, the seat automatically tilts also).
Asynchro Tilt
Can tilt
back and seat independently of each other to suit individual user.
Permanent Contact Back (PCB)
The back
angle can be adjusted to suit the individual user, or left to tilt naturally
with the body.
Seat Angle
Allows the
user to adjust the angle of the seat to suit individual user.
Seat Slide
The seat is
can be slid horizontally to suit the individual user.
Height-Adjustable Arms
Arm rests
are height adjustable to suit the individual user.