Office chairs

What Order Should You Use to Adjust an Office Chair?

Published · By Ergocrew · Specs and guidance as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

Start at the floor and work up: seat height, then seat depth and the backrest, then the armrests, and only then the monitor and the things you reach for. Each step depends on the one before it, so changing the seat height after you have set the armrests usually means setting the armrests again. If the desk is the wrong height, the first step is where you find out.

1. Seat height

Sit all the way back and raise or lower the seat until your feet rest flat and your thighs are roughly level. OSHA's description of the right height is "the entire sole of the foot can rest on the floor with the back of the knee slightly higher than the seat of the chair."

Now check the desk. With the chair at that height, your forearms should be about level with the keyboard and your shoulders relaxed. If the desk is too high, OSHA's fix is to raise the chair until your arms work and then support your feet: "If the seat cannot be lowered (for example, it would make the keyboard or monitor too high), use a footrest to provide stable support for the feet." Our footrest guide covers the options.

2. Seat depth and backrest

Slide the seat pan, if the chair has a slider, until your thighs are supported but the front edge does not touch the backs of your knees. Then move the lumbar pad or the backrest up or down so its forward curve sits in the small of your back.

Set the recline last in this step. OSHA asks for a backrest that can recline "at least 15 degrees from the vertical" and that will "lock in place or be tension adjustable." Tighten the tension until leaning back feels controlled. If the back drops away the moment you shift your weight, the tension is too light for you.

3. Armrests

Lower the armrests until they just touch your forearms with your arms hanging comfortably at your sides. OSHA's wording is "Low enough so your shoulders are relaxed during use" and close enough to support the lower arms "while keeping your upper arms close to the body." If the armrests hit the desk edge before you reach the keyboard, lower them further, swing them out, or stop using them. OSHA says that if armrests "cannot be properly adjusted, or if they interfere with your workstation, remove them, or stop using them."

4. Monitor and everyday items

With the chair set, place the main monitor directly in front of you. OSHA puts the preferred viewing distance "between 20 and 40 inches (50 and 100 cm)" and the top of the screen "at or slightly below eye level." Its checklist places the telephone "Generally, within 18 to 20 inches," a useful reach limit for anything you pick up many times a day.

OSHA's positions guidance also recommends making "small adjustments to your chair or backrest" through the day, so the levers stay in use after the first setup.

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Related guides

Sources

  1. OSHA Computer Workstations eTool, Chairs
  2. OSHA Computer Workstations eTool, Monitors
  3. OSHA Computer Workstations eTool, Evaluation Checklist
  4. OSHA Computer Workstations eTool, Good Working Positions

We have not tested these products. Specs and guidance are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; the manufacturer's page for your model has the current details.

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