What are standards?
The term standard finds its origin in the Latin "norma", which originally meant an angular measure, but was later extended to mean a yardstick, rule or regulation. Standardisation means a recognised rule of technology. Uniform standards with regard to format, form, procurement, material, etc. are set with the so-called DIN standards. DIN is the abbreviation for Deutsche Industrie Normung (German Industrial Standardisation), but it is also used beyond Germany. In fact, there are more than 33,000 DIN standards worldwide.
Are there standards for office chairs?
For office furniture, office desks or Office chairs there are a large number of (DIN) standards. To understand what these standards refer to, it is necessary to consider the definition of an office chair: a swivel chair mounted on chair castors and adjustable in height for use at desks. The standards describe guidelines regarding the technology of castors, height adjustability, safety technology, adjustment of armrests, the seat surface, seat depth, backrest, sitting posture, etc.
Why DIN standards for office chairs?
The world of work has changed massively, especially in the last few decades. With more and more desk jobs, the demands on a workplace have also increased. Sitting rigidly in front of the PC for hours on end puts a strain on the Spine and increases the risk of back disorders. For this reason, experts and occupational physicians are demanding that workplaces be ergonomically sound. Workplaces must be set up according to ergonomic principles in order to ensure the long-term health of employees. A very important piece of furniture in this context is the office chair or standing chair, as many people spend many hours of their lives sitting on them.
Ergonomic requirements
As formulated by the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an office chair must meet a variety of requirements to be recognised as an ergonomic office chair. These include, among other things, tilt resistance even with the greatest backward inclination of the backrest or the equipment with at least 5 castors. These in turn must be braked when unloaded and only be able to roll when loaded - the rolling resistance must be adapted to the floor covering (carpet or smooth).
It continues with specifications for the seat depth as well as for the adjustability of the seat height. The backrest - if present - must be concave horizontally and convex vertically. It should also support the back of the person sitting on it. Armrests are allowed, but not compulsory. However, despite all the specifications, the natural urge of a sitter to move is not taken into account.
Ergonomics and synchronous mechanism
The so-called synchronous mechanism is essential for an ergonomic office chair. This is a further development of the simple rocking mechanism in which the backrest and seat are connected and the backrest rocks forwards or backwards with the seat. The synchronous mechanism also couples the backrest with the seat surface, but the inclination of the backrest causes a smaller inclination of the seat surface (ratio approx. 3:1 or 2:1). As a result, the angle between the upper body and thigh can increase when leaning back, which leads to more freedom of movement.
3D ergonomics and dynamic sitting
With the concept of 3D ergonomics Aeris has revolutionised office chairs and ergonomic sitting with the Swopper already revolutionised office chairs and ergonomic sitting in 1997, because the concept allows the sitter to make movements that are adapted to his or her individual needs - in all three dimensions, i.e. forwards, backwards, sideways and also vertically. This increases the number of possible sitting positions many times over compared to a synchronous mechanism. Even complex, completely natural and flowing movements become possible, which benefits the quality of sitting and movement. Aeris Seating furniture follows the user's movements and thus allows a significantly better posture when sitting.
By the way, the Aeris Swopper with backrest and spring leg type Low (Swopper Work) complies with the European standard and DIN EN 1335 for office work chairs. This means it meets all the requirements of the employers' liability insurance association and the German pension insurance. However, since people cannot be pressed into standards, Aeris offers innovative and individually adaptable products for every body shape and size.
