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Avoid the 'Chair Graveyard'

by Jennifer Way, Interior Concepts - February 8, 2010

Avoid the ‘Chair Graveyard’

By Jennifer Way, Interior Concepts

jway@interiorconcepts.com


The purpose of this article is to help contact centers avoid the ‘chair graveyard’, the place where all of the broken chairs that nobody wants huddle together waiting to be fixed or tossed out. The injured chairs waiting patiently to be fixed might have missing casters, broken controls, or arms.

To avoid the sickly grouping of unused chairs in your building, consider comfortable ergonomic and durable chairs when considering seating options.

If you have ever sat in an office chair for hours at a time you know that selecting a comfortable ergonomic chair is an integral part of a workstation, if you don’t, the body aches will prove it to you. Ergonomics with regards to seating means that the chair should be able to adjust to proper ergonomic positioning for a variety of users.

Typical ergonomic adjustments are height, seat depth, lumbar, and armrest height and width. Matching these adjustments to the user will allow them work comfortably and safely. If the chair cannot be adjusted properly it may cause a person to work with improper arm, wrist, and back angles. This can cause musculoskeletal disorders, such as carpel tunnel, and back problems.

There are different levels of adjustability in chairs. Some of the types of chairs are basic, intensive task, and multi-function. A typical chair with basic adjustments will allow height and adjustable back depth adjustment. An intensive task chair offers many more adjustments, typically including back height adjustment, seat and back angle adjustment, and height adjustment. A multi-function chair will feature all of the adjustments of an intensive task but will add tension control, forward tilt, and an infinite tilt lock.

The type of center, multi-shift or single shift should also be considered. If multiple people sit in the chair, the chair should feature a multi-shift upgrade package for durability. The upgraded chairs will include larger casters with more weight capacity, steel reinforcement, and a heavy-duty gas lifts. The chairs will hold up better over time for multi-shift environments.

For heavier employees, there are heavy-duty chair options available for up to 350 pounds and an extra heavy-duty option for up to 500 pounds. Heavy-duty chairs feature similar upgrades to a multi-shift package, but might have more steel reinforcement in the frames. The chairs look very similar to other chairs, so they do not stand out on the floor.

An ergonomic or heavy-duty chair costs more than a basic chair, but considering the time and cost to repair chairs, purchase new chairs and make all employees feel welcome and comfortable, the cost difference may even out. Many chair companies offer warranties on single shift chairs and an extended warranty on multi-shift chairs. Chairs built specifically for multi-shift environments or for heavier employees will result in fewer headaches down the road and help you avoid the ‘chair graveyard’.

 
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