Choosing the right seating

Most of us spend more than six hours a day sat at our desks, something our bodies are not equipped to do.

That’s one of the major contributing factors to the 17million people in the UK suffering from back pain. In terms of the effect back pain has on productivity, estimates say it costs the country between 1% and 2% of our GDP every year.

Often, when companies hear about this, they rush out and buy the most expensive office chairs they can find in order to preserve their workforce.

But the most expensive solution is not always the best, and fixing the problem is a lot more hassle than preventing it from occurring in the first place. This can be done by getting your seating right in the beginning.

There are many affordable, ergonomic chairs on the market that will keep your employees comfortable and prevent back injuries from happening. Each seat can and should be prepared specifically for the individual.

Your office interiors supplier should understand shoulder pain, neck muscle pain, sciatica, prolapsed discs and other related complaints.

They will then be able to pair these with chairs which may offer seat sliders, pump-up lumbar support, height adjustable arms, height adjustable ratchet back, tension adjustable seats, forward tilt and free float mechanisms.

A chair must encourage you to move.

The free float facility encourages this movement so that blood circulates throughout the body, the eight degrees forward tilt encourages better posture whilst working at a computer, the natural flex in the back stimulates movement of the lumbar spine reducing the risk of disc dehydration and the height adjustable arm supports the lower arm whilst using a mouse which consequently eliminates any shoulder pain.

Bev Mercer
Managing director
Bevlan Office Interiors