What all do you look at when assessing the seat in an office enviroment?
Answer
Typically, I begin with assessing the seat, followed by the measurements of the seat. There are several items that I'm looking for before I measure the seat:
How does the employee sit in the seat? Are they aligned in a 90/90/90 position?
If not, what are they doing? Are their knees lower or higher than their hips?
Are their feet on the back of their chair, or extended and stretched out?
Are their feet elevated enough?
Are they sitting back so that the lumbar area is supporting the chair? Or are they at the edge of their chair?
Is there anything on the back of their chair (e.g., a jacket or sweater)?
Do they have any type of additional lumbar support (e.g., a cushion or pillow)?
Does the chair have a gap at the lumbar area? Or is the lumbar placed and contoured to the chair?
Is the chair a high, a low, or a mid-back chair?
Does the chair have rolling wheels? If so, how many? Are there five castors?
Does the chair lock or not?
Does the chair have a tilt so that you can extend backwards and then erect forward? Does the chair have an adjustment for height?
Does the chair's back have an adjustment that can be moved up or down?
Does the chair have arm rests? If the chair has arm rests, are they adjustable? If they're adjustable, do they simply go up and down or do they also go in and out?
All of these pieces play a role prior to you performing any measurements. In summary, you are looking at the seat itself and all of the descriptions of the seat, and then how the individual is sitting in the seat. Once you have obtained that information, it's important to begin your measuring process.
Kelly Ingram-Mitchell, PT, MPT, CEAS, CWcHP
Kelly Ingram-Mitchell holds a Masters degree in Physical Therapy and a Bachelors degree in Exercise and Sports Medicine. Her experience exceed 20 years in prevention services and injury management. Kelly previously served as Executive Director of a national therapy provider network and Director of Operations for over 20 plus outpatient therapy centers.
Mrs. Ingram-Mitchell spent many of her industrial years developing and implementing client specific prevention and rehab programs including post offer testing, physical demand analysis, ergonomics, early intervention, and onsite therapy models. Working overseas enabled her to gain a significant understanding of the national needs related to the industry as well as the similarities and differences there maybe. In 2000, she developed a FCE Certification Program and for years trained her profession. This year she has co-partnered with ISPA for a new comprehensive protocol to include disability and compensation. Her focus is on research and education allowing market place leverage to best impact client results.
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