Ergonomics of the w123 seats

[bgkast]

Does anybody have any information on the ergonomics of the w123 seats? I recently made an office chair out of a nice seat from the junkyard to replace my uncomfortable (and broken) office chair, but now management is telling me its not allowed because it is not ergonomically designed. I would love to have some documentation to show them.

Thanks!

[panZZer]

Yes it's a good idea to thumb your nose at HR . I used to do it all the time--man-I sure(dont) miss that place.

[bgkast]

I work for the government, they can't fire me.

Here is a picture of the chair in question.

[Biodiesel300TD]

Where I work they give you the crappiest chair until you ask for a better one. Seems like if you tell them that you are comfortable and aren't experiencing any pain or discomfort they'd leave you alone. If they make you ditch it I'll take it for my office I get lot of chair time in front of a computer.

[SirNik84]

that chair is sweet!

was ergonomics even part of the design? I kind of thought they just got the largest and smallest guys at the factory to sit in the cars until they got everything where they wanted it... LOL

for some reason in my mind Mercedes of our era tend to "Keep It Simple Stupid" that kind of flies in the face of my understand of ergonomics... trying to engineer around the human body... that just seems complicated when you think of the variables from person to person.

[babymog]

"ergonomically designed"? If it is designed to hold the human form, it is ergonomically designed.

Take them a copy of a dictionary page with the word Ergonomic, its application to your problem is ambiguous at best.

[SirNik84]

I'd pay good money for a head rest like that on my office chair

[Yak]

Originally Posted by bgkast

I work for the government, they can't fire me.

Here is a picture of the chair in question.

So when you lean back and fall over and want the government to pay your medical bills, what are you going to say?

You don't have arm rests - what about your carpal tunnel? Is it height adjustable?

Believe it or not, office chairs have to meet safety standards. In the 80's and early 90's the German national employees in an office on an American base all got chairs with five legs (like in the pic) because the older chairs with four legs would tip over. Woe unto the American who inadvertently took a German's five legged chair because you were putting their health and safety at risk (and of course they were also the new chairs with good padding and clean fabric).

It is a cool chair, but I'd still make you get rid of it. Of course, I'd have also bought you a reasonable replacement in the first place.

[Cr from Texas]

How about you post the email address for this HR person and we all send them an email about our experience with 123 seats?

[RML]

I like that chair but I would want arm rests.

[layback40]

You are asking for the ok from HR to have a recliner/ lounge type chair at work?
What is the likelihood of you falling asleep while seated in it?
With it reclined who knows what you and another staff member may get up to !!
Hey, they didnt think of it first!! What else did you expect ??

[jdh122]

Some of the brochures from when these cars were new discuss how the seats are designed to keep the driver alert and stimulated, or something to that effect.

They also describe how the seats can recline to a nearly flat position for "cat naps", which I think would be a popular feature with government employees...

[::matthew]

I think it's a cool chair, but seems like something you should keep at home. Tell them you need one of these:



This is what I sit on at home and office. It's on GSA and most state contracts.

[winmutt]

One of my old bosses had a Caddi seat made into a chair. Talk about plush. I'd take my Aeron over these any day.

[tbomachines]

I'd thought of making my 300SD into an office chair, complete with 12V power adjustability. These seats are designed to have you sit in them for hundreds of thousands of miles and at many hours at a time, so with a re-stuff/pad they should be good to go. To be fair, the w123 seats are pretty bare in terms of features...you'd have a lot easier time arguing the ergonomics with one of those fancy inflatable lumbar support thingers