Ways to Check If It is Time for a New Office Chair

How will you know if the good old office chair needs to send in its resignation letter? You need not wait for body pains to occur, nor do you need to wait for a few more weeks once you noticed the chair failing to do its job. Something as significant as the office chair does not need to be risked because it will only lead to much more harmful body reactions. So here are a few ways on how to assess your office chair and see if it is time to get yourself a new one:

The Foam Padding. You should take note of how long can you take sitting on your chair until it becomes uncomfortable? According to the Cornell University Human Factors and Ergonomics Research Group, “if the seat becomes uncomfortable after prolonged sitting for at least 1-2 hours, the padding may be wearing thin and losing its resilience, therefore signaling the need for a new chair.”

The Chair Base. Check if the base of your chair have four arms or five arms, because the latter is recommended by the National Institutes of Health. The five-point base ensures maximum stability and also has minimal chances of the chair tripping. In fact, this has been testified by an executive director of a manufacturer’s association, saying that office furnitures have stopped making chairs with four-point bases because they were not as reliable as the five-pointed ones.

The Casters. Check if all of the chair’s casters still roll. If one of them has been broken off, keep in mind that a chair with an uneven number of working casters will risk the stability of the chair.

Mechanical and Functional. Check if the armrests were broken, or for any creaking sound or cracking every time you sit down. Check as well if all of its levers, such as the seat height, the knee tilt, tilt lock, and the seat/back adjustment still works. It is better to make a general inspection of the chair to make sure that it still offers comfort and safety to the user, most especially the functionality of all its mechanical components.

The Appearance. Does the office chair look too shabby already? While the appearance of the chair may not directly affect its ergonomics, it may still give out the wrong message to your customers.

The Age. Do you know how old your chair is? While a good office chair is really meant to last, its life still depends on the user and how it is being treated.

When you find a negative assessment, then it is time to invest in a good chair again.