Why You Should Care About Your Lab Stool
In a lab, there are many aspects of safety that we are strict about. We often overlook the one that affects us the most – our sitting position. This article will provide you with the tools to ensure that you do your best work while taking care of your body.
How can my stool affect my work?
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.
Picking the right stool
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.
The benefits of an ergonomic stool
Lab chairs such as those which adapt to the user’s movement are very beneficial, as well-designed and manufactured stools are made to provide full lower back support, even without a back-rest. This helps with other areas such as hips, neck, upper back and muscle tension. Even better, an ergonomic lab stool with a back-rest or lumbar support lets you relax, which increases circulation and concentration.
Conclusion
A safe, well-engineered, purpose-built lab chair is invaluable when it comes to safety, well-being and efficiency. It is proven that ergonomics invariably affects most aspects of your work, for which good health is vital in these industries. A specially built laboratory chair then is not just a piece of furniture but a working companion.