Ergonomic Task Chairs

[parallel]

I own and operate a drafting and design firm. That means that I spend a LOT of time at my computer. I have been using a leather "executive" chair for the past few years and due to prior space limitations, my desk is a computer armoire. Needless to say, that is NOT an ideal setup. I have recently moved to a MUCH larger house and I now have an office that, while small, is at least a dedicated office instead of an office/guest room.

This week I have upgraded to AutoCAD 2010 (the jump from AutoCAD 2004 to AutoCAD 2010 will take some time) and a high speed low drag desktop replacement with a 32" 1080p LCD TV as a third monitor (counting the laptop's monitor). I have decided to custom build a desk to my dimensions (pretty much means short and WIDE...LOL) to maximize my productivity. I have also realized that I need a true ergonomic chair if I am going to be at my desk for 12+ hours a day. So, those with personal experience (and even better, professional experience) chime in with recommendations for said chair. I really don't have a budget per se, but I would like it to be under $1000.

Also, any advise toward the desk design is appreciated as well.

ETA: This topic is related to tractors in that if I don't get my productivity up I'll never be able to afford one.

 

[JJT]

A good ergo chair can be found for less than $1K. Look for 1 with a lifetime warrantee. Steel Case and Herman Miller are 2 good brands. Some folks find a $40 exercise ball works well for them, others aren't happy with a $2,500 chair.....

Check with your HR folks, you may have an ergo rep and not even know about it.

Don't wait for things to hurt before getting setup correctly.

Chair height, desk height and keyboard height need to be correct. Do you use a keyboard tray?

Chair height - your thighs should be parallel to the floor, with your feet flat on the floor. Your knees should form a 90 degree angle.

Your back should be fully supported, some ego chairs have adjustable lumbar support.

The seat pan should be adjustable, with just a couple of inched between the front of the seat pan and the back of your knees. The seat pan should fully support your thighs.

Your keyboard height should give you at least a 90 degree angle at your elbows. Make sure your keyboard is flat, to keep your wrists in a neutral position.

Your arm rests should be low enough so you don't use them while keying, but can rest your arms there when you aren't keying.

The keyboard and mouse should be at the same level.

Your keyboard should be lined up with your primary monitor.

The top of the monitor should be about level with your eyes.

If you wear bifocals, consider getting a pair of single vision lenses for computer use.

Every 20 minutes focus on something more than 20' away for at least 20 seconds.

Take mini breaks every hour. Get out of your chair and move around. (Drinking lots of water seems to work for most people.....)

Stretch a few times a day.

 

[Steve C]

I own and operate a drafting and design firm. That means that I spend a LOT of time at my computer. I have been using a leather "executive" chair for the past few years and due to prior space limitations, my desk is a computer armoire. Needless to say, that is NOT an ideal setup. I have recently moved to a MUCH larger house and I now have an office that, while small, is at least a dedicated office instead of an office/guest room.

This week I have upgraded to AutoCAD 2010 (the jump from AutoCAD 2004 to AutoCAD 2010 will take some time) and a high speed low drag desktop replacement with a 32" 1080p LCD TV as a third monitor (counting the laptop's monitor). I have decided to custom build a desk to my dimensions (pretty much means short and WIDE...LOL) to maximize my productivity. I have also realized that I need a true ergonomic chair if I am going to be at my desk for 12+ hours a day. So, those with personal experience (and even better, professional experience) chime in with recommendations for said chair. I really don't have a budget per se, but I would like it to be under $1000.

Also, any advise toward the desk design is appreciated as well.

ETA: This topic is related to tractors in that if I don't get my productivity up I'll never be able to afford one.

Build it tall so you can use it as a stand up work station. Research has shown that the simple act of standing can greatly improve ones health, muscle tone and reduce weight. The effort used to maintain balance is very little yet it tones the mid section, back muscles and burns calories providing an almost effortless means of staying in shape. I worked for years at stand up drafting tables and found them to be far more comfortable than any chair/desk height work station I have used since with all the cad systems I have used. Get yourself a good comfortable stool with lower back support, and use it 15 or 20 minutes out of every hour to just give yourself a rest. Push it out of the way when you aren't sitting on it. Nothing is worse for you than sitting down for 9 or 10 hours a day. I have been there and have done that and I have the quadruaple by pass to prove it! It is great to have the option to stand. It will increase your productivity and improve your overall health and cost you nothing. I worked as a mechanical designer for 40 years, the early years were strictly office work, that stuff will kill you. The last 15 or so years were a mix of about 30% field work and 70% office work. Much better for overall health. We as a society strive to increase production and output and we have time studied and engineered out most of the "work" involved with working. As a result we have become a nation of couch potatoes with astronomical health care costs.. I am appalled that we no longer let our "workers" break a sweat during their work day. If we had our production jobs designed correctly we would find 20 or 30 minutes of good cardio exercise for everybody to do during the day. There is enough work to go around. Engineers and tech's would have it as part of their production supporting roles in my perfect little world. They would then have a better understanding of the building or production processes and also they would be in better shape. Humping 12 inch blocks to a mason for 15 or 20 minutes a day wouldn't hurt anyone, neither would stocking production materials by hand to an assembly line. Some might see it as a waste of time, but in my mind it is better than spending 9 hours in a chair and then stopping by a gym for an hour after work.

Standing is where it's at.

 

[2manyrocks]

I had a nice looking padded executive chair that hurt my back so badly that I got rid of it. I'm using a plain wooden swivel chair that's probably 100 years old, and no more back problems from sitting. I think the chair just fits me better. You'd think the padded chair would be more comfortable, but there is no way I would part with this wooden chair.

If you can find it, there's a Fine Woodworking article called "On Making Chairs Comfortable-How to fit the seat to the sitter" written by Alan Marks in the Fine Woodworking Techniques #6 series. As a draftsman, you might see some things in the article that might help you figure out what you need.

 

[rus_geek]

My work is almost entirely sitting at a computer as well, but usually only eight hours a day. For the last two years or so, I've been really happy with a Herman Miller Aeron chair. The company bought it, but a quick search online puts them around $700. The mesh seat/back seems to support better than an upholstered office chair, and it is adjustable about everywhere it needs to be, including good adjustable lumbar support. They also come in different sizes, so they fit me, my cube-neighbor who's about 4'10" and another cube-neighbor whose nickname is Shrek.

Also need to second Steve's comment about a stand-up option. My work surface is adjustable, so I can crank the entire thing (desk, computer, phone, everything on the desk) up to standing work-height in a minute. Gives me the option, and some days I am just more comfortable standing than sitting in *any* office chair. Also easier to walk around on conference calls, to the printer, fax, etc. without sitting and standing every time. Maybe even just putting one of your monitors on an arm that lets you raise it, and an alternate keyboard/mouse location?

-rus-