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The secret language of chairs
By Christine
Selvig • Bankrate.com
 During
your search for the perfect chair, you're liable to come across
the following terms:
- Adjustable arms:
Allow the occupant additional support while sitting or moving
to standing position. These also allow the user to work in a neutral
position with relaxed shoulders.
- Adjustable back height
or adjustable lumbar: Chairs with this feature offer quick
adjustment of the lumbar support area to accommodate different
sized users.
- ANSI
Standards:
The American National Standards
Institute sets minimum standards for products, including office
chairs.
- Business
and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association
(BIFMA)
Guidelines: These guidelines assist manufacturers
in producing products that meet its benchmark standards.
- Casters:
Casters are the wheels made to facilitate movement on hard or
carpeted surfaces. Make sure your chair's casters match the surface
on which you will be using your chair. Prof. Marvin Dainoff, Director
of the Center for Ergonomic Research at Miami University in Oxford,
Ohio, suggests it is important to match chair caster to the surface,
rather than buying a plastic floor pad to cover a carpeted surface.
- Ergonomics:
The study of how man interacts with his working environment.
- Forward Tilt
Adjustment: Positions the
seat pan in a forward pitch. This support gives users back support
when keyboarding for long periods of time.
- Knee tilt: Allows
a user to recline without putting pressure under the knees.
- Pneumatic seat height
adjustment: Allows a user to adjust the chair height while
seated in the chair.
- Seat
height: Your chair should
be adjusted so that your feet don't dangle, but rest comfortably
on the floor.
- Tilt
limiter: People who
like to lean back in their chairs can use this feature, which
limits how far back your seat will tilt.
-- Posted: Sept. 30, 1999
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