ABSTRACT
Currently, the majority of the work force in the Netherlands is working in offices, as the service industry has grown and much work has been automated (Smulders et al. 2002). This means that many people spend much of their lifetime sitting on office chairs. Consequently, the market for office chairs is large; there are many chair manufacturers and many different office chairs. The question is: What is the optimal chair providing minimal discomfort and no health complaints in the long run? This question is not easy to answer. The scientific studies on discomfort and health effects of office chairs are rather limited. For instance, it is not known whether a dynamic chair is better with regard to discomfort and health than a static seat.
