• What are you looking for?

  • Shopping cart
    • Foo
      • {property.name | translate 'line_item.properties'}:{property.value}

      *engraving will be added to each additional Swopper
      Quantity: - +
    No items in shopping cart

    The indication of the VAT ID number is a mandatory requirement in order to treat your purchase in Germany as a possible tax-free intra-Community delivery.

Article Oct 23

Standards vs. health: Why innovative office chairs beyond the DIN standard are so important

Health should be the main consideration when choosing the right office chair - not the norm.

What is a DIN standard?

A DIN standard is a standard developed at the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) in Berlin, which specifies unified standards for products and processes, such as quality, minimum performance, characteristics, dimensions, etc.. Interested parties, such as manufacturers, consumers, retailers, research institutes or public authorities, can participate in the development of DIN standards in committees. There are currently around 33,000 Standards worldwide.

German standards have become increasingly internationalised in recent decades. For example, a standard is now called DIN EN if a European standard has been adopted by the German Institute for Standardisation. Or DIN EN ISO if it is an international standard that is also a European standard. Accordingly, DIN ISO is a standard that is valid internationally and in Germany; whereas DIN denotes a standard that has exclusively or predominantly national significance.

Where can I find DIN standards?

In many university libraries in Germany, national and international standards can be consulted via the Perinorm database. Some standards are also published in Germany by Beuth-Verlag in the series "DIN-Taschenbuch". DIN standards on various topics are summarised there. Otherwise, it is possible to purchase the individual standards documents from the standards institutions or from the associated publishers, for example from Beuth-Verlag or VDE-Verlag.

Man sits on ergonomic office chair Aeris Swopper and can move freely in all directions The office chair dilemma: health vs. DIN standard

Is there a DIN standard for office chairs?

Yes. DIN EN 1335 is a standard that specifies dimensions, safety requirements and safety tests for office chairs, such as the adjustability of seat height, seat depth and backrest. In Germany, it is decisive for the development of office chairs. The standard is based on a template from 1989 (DIN 4551).

The problem here is that the DIN standard sets certain standards and measurements that are based on average sizes and proportions. However, this can lead to problems because people have different body types and needs. Ergonomic office chairs, on the other hand, rely on individual adjustment options to provide optimal support and comfort.

For office chairs, this means that the ergonomic findings and developments of the last 25 years are not taken into account in this standard. Above all, the fact that the number of employees with back complaints is constantly increasing due to a rigid sitting posture in conventional work chairs has, however, led to the development of movement technologies for office chairs precisely during this time. Unfortunately, some of these new technologies cannot now be tested according to DIN EN 1335. This means that modern office chairs currently have to comply with outdated standards.

Woman in the office with the height-adjustable desk Active Desk and office chair Aeris Swopper which complies with the DIN standard for office chairs with backrest and castors. Modern, innovative office chairs such as the Aeris Swopper currently have to comply with outdated DIN standards.

For example, one of the regulations in DIN EN 1335 states that the lowest seat height of an office chair must be 420 mm. This makes sense for people with short legs or short heights. However, the average height of employees has increased steadily in recent years. Thus, for people with a body height of about 170 cm or more, a seat height of 480 mm or more is recommended, if possible in combination with a higher desk. Although this no longer complies with DIN regulations, it has great advantages for the back health of employees.

What is good, but not easy for implementation, is that a plant management is not forced to adhere to DIN EN 1335 when selecting work equipment. The standard is only considered a recommendation or minimum requirement for the protection of employees.

The health and long-term performance of employees should be the primary consideration when choosing the right office chair - and not the standard. A responsible employer will therefore not force an employee who gets back pain when sitting on a conventional office chair according to DIN EN 1335, but whose health situation improves when sitting on a non-DIN office chair, to sit on a DIN-compliant office chair.

Does the Aeris Swopper comply with the DIN standards?

Yes. The Aeris Swopper in its original form does not have a backrest and therefore does not comply with DIN EN 1335. Therefore, consumers occasionally have to deal with the above-mentioned factual situation: current developments come into confrontation with outdated regulations. So although many employees experience an improvement in their back problems by sitting on the Aeris Swopper, companies that regard DIN standards as regulations and not recommendations only approve their use of the Aeris Swopper in exceptional cases. However, the Aeris Swopper has the GS mark according to EN 1022 and EN 13671 for office visitor chairs and can therefore be used at all workplaces without hesitation.

DIN standards for active seats, such as the Aeris Swopper, do not yet exist. Therefore, there is also no official test procedure according to which the Aeris Swopper could be tested according to its specific characteristics. So far, there is only DIN EN 1335 for conventional office chairs. The state of the art is therefore far ahead of the DIN standards.

With the development of the Aeris Swopper with backrest and castors and spring leg type Low and also with that of the active office chair. Aeris 3Deeboth of which have been certified as office work chairs in accordance with DIN 1335, Aeris has met the needs of all those employers, safety engineers and company doctors who would like to provide their employees with the latest motion seating technology, but at the same time also want to be in line with the catalog of standards. In this version, it meets all the requirements of the employers' liability insurance association and the German pension insurance.

Office with the office chairs Aeris Swopper and Aeris Numo Task  and the height-adjustable desk Active Desk The office stool Aeris Swopper offers maximum freedom of movement with many changes of posture and complies with DIN EN 1335 in the version with castors and backrest.

And when you get right down to it, occupational health and safety law virtually requires employers to use office chairs like the Aeris Swopper because they comply with the latest ergonomics research. Because in § 3 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act the basic obligations of the employer are set out:

"The employer is obliged to take the necessary occupational health and safety measures, taking into account the circumstances that affect the safety and health of employees at work. He must check the effectiveness of the measures and, if necessary, adapt them to changing circumstances. In doing so, he must strive to improve the safety and health of employees."  

Changing circumstances for the improvement of safety and health protection" include new findings and technical developments - e.g. also for office chairs. So that employees are not "stuck" with outdated standards.

And such a technical advancement, which has a health-promoting effect, is the unique Aeris 3D technology. In its development, Aeris has consistently focused on people's needs and not on standards. People want to be able to move freely intuitively and in all directions.

And this is exactly what the Aeris Swopper with its 3D technology. The office stool Aeris Swopper offers you maximum freedom of movement with many posture changes. It follows you and your body and not the other way around, supporting your intuitive movements.

Conventional ergonomic movement technologies, such as synchronous mechanics, allow movement in two dimensions at most. This enables movement, but unfortunately only in a limited, predetermined manner and with little flexibility.

Numerous studies on the Aeris Swopper summarize the positive effects of the 3D technology developed by Aeris on fitness, health and performance.

Active sitting on the Aeris Swopper has a similar effect on the body as casual walking. The muscles are constantly trained and all organs - including the brain - are better supplied. And you do this while working, without having to actively do anything. The result is a completely new attitude to life with less tiredness and more energy. And in addition, you also burn more calories.
Article Mar 23

4 TOP Facts why you should not do without dynamic sitting on the Aeris Swopper

Ergonomic office stool Aeris Swopper allows dynamic sitting with maximum freedom of movement and this has many health benefits.

Read here
Article Jul 23

The advantages of the Aeris Swopper: A sports physician about more health while sitting

Read here
Article May 21

Aeris Muvmat increases performance

Study confirms: Working while standing on the Aeris Muvmat promotes mental and physical performance.

Read here

Our product recommendation

Want to personalize your Aeris Swopper?

You have configured your favorite Swopper? Then you can now start with the personalization. And this is how it works: Simply enter your desired text in the field - done.

( max. 20 characters )

  • Please note that personalized products are excluded from exchange, cancellation and return.
  • The delivery time will be extended by up to 10 days.
I agree to the terms and conditions
No, thanks