Ergonomics in the lab is just as important as in the office, the factory or any other facility. It is the main contributor to your efficiency, attitude to work, health, concentration and posture. A high quality, comfortable and well-designed lab stool is extremely important when considering your lab furnishings. Potential injury from ergonomics is underestimated, as serious muscular and skeletal injury can be the result of bad posture and static working positions.

The perfect sitting position

The perfect sitting position is free of bodily strain. You should:

▪ Sit with your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest
▪ Have a 100-110° reclining position (if applicable)
▪ Push your hips as far back into the chair as possible
▪ Keep your knees at 90° or less (at hip level or higher)
▪ Use back or lumbar support where possible

To easily achieve a good sitting posture:

▪ Push yourself into the back of the chair to sit as far back on the chair as possible
▪ Completely relax your body and slouch
▪ Sit as straight as possible and accentuate the curvature of your back
▪ Relax your position slightly so you are upright but comfortable
▪ This sitting position will minimize back strain.

Anyone who has been seated in a lab chair for any length of time knows how vital ergonomics is. Thankfully, many of the best lab chairs are designed with this in mind so that even when spending long hours working at a desk, the body will be supported and comfortable.

In fact, it is important for any office chair to be ergonomic, especially if used for extended periods of time. With that being said, there is no reason that this should not be applicable to lab benches and lab tables as well.

Since lab benches are one of the most used lab furniture, it's essential that they support proper body posture to prevent injury. Without the right ergonomic design, your staff is more prone to experiencing back pain and that could result in less productivity.

This can cause a ripple effect throughout the workplace-other workers will feel more pressure to compensate by putting in longer hours instead of leaving the workplace on time

What do you look for in lab furniture that makes your job easier? Laboratories are areas subject to very delicate materials and dangerous exposures, which involve rigorous regulations and requirements. Therefore, a safe, durable and purpose-built stool for your lab is essential.

As opposed to low-cost, cheaply built stools, laboratory stools are made to suit their environment. Made from engineered polyurethane, stools purpose-built for labs are:

▪ Non-porous,
▪ Wipe-able and
▪ Anti-bacterial.

These are essential to your laboratory, as they are easy to clean, and made to be disassembled for decontamination. Laboratory stools are PC2 compliant, which requires surfaces to be "smooth, impermeable to water, easily cleanable, and resistant to damage by the cleaning agents and/or decontamination agents that will be used in the facility". Stools that are purpose-built for school and TAFE labs are anti-swing, ensuring students' safety by not allowing them to rock on their chairs. Lab chairs are also built to be comfortable so that injuries such as RSI (Repetitive Strain Injuries) and OOS (Occupational Overuse Syndrome) are prevented. There is no alternative for a purpose-built stool or chair, as others can be unsafe, and are not engineered to stand up to strong chemicals.

Height

Lab Chairs: In laboratories there are different workstations such as hood and medium or high bench and its height level determines the height of your lab chair. Thus, lab chairs are available in different height ranges. There are also stools with 360 degree all-around pneumatic height adjustment ideal for clinical facilities and university labs.

Office Chairs: Majority of offices use the regular work desks only so there is no enough options for different seat height levels. The height of office chairs may be adjustable but it is not ergonomically engineered and designed for high desks.

Backrest

Lab Chairs: To support your posture, lumbar spine, and increase comfort during extended sitting durations, the backrest of laboratory chairs are made to be adjustable, sometimes both vertically and horizontally. With this feature you can prevent yourself from slouching or sitting up straight.

Office Chairs: While some office chairs have adjustable backrest too, they are not built for optimal comfort during laboratory tasks including micromanipulation, dissection, and pipetting.

Arm Rest (optional)

Lab Chairs: Lab chairs are more innovative with 6-way adjustable armrests - up and down, in and out, twist toward or away from the user. This capability boosts correct ergonomics and convenience especially if there are times when you think the arm rest will impede your lab tasks.

Office Chairs: Very few lab chairs offer adjustable armrests as it is only used for providing basic support while writing or using computers.

Footrings (optional)

Lab Chairs: Adjustable footrings or footrests are available for some lab chairs that care for the healthy connection between your thighs and feet to sustain the circulation in the lower part of your body. These are highly beneficial for lab professionals who work on medium or high benches.

Office Chairs: Most office chairs do not have footrings that limits the user's flexibility to move and stretch their legs and feet.

Seats Tilt

Lab Chairs: Tilt options are highly recommended for lab chair and stool seats and most especially to users whose lab applications require them to bend or lean forward into an equipment or sample. Lab seats with tilt or locking tilt aids lower spine positioning.

Office Chairs: Seat tilt feature is rarely possessed by office chairs as it does not consider various movements and physical tasks whilst sitting. Office chairs with stiff seats may cause users the difficulty to hunch, making accidental motions during their application procedures that could harm their lab equipment and samples.