The main priority when putting in place a system of preventative health management is to identify those aspects which impair staff performance, as well as the individual needs of the members of staff as part of the work process, and to introduce appropriate preventative measures. The holistic New Ergonomics approach can help here. Advocates of this system take into account the altered underlying conditions by orienting themselves towards human beings and by viewing the working environment within offices in a holistic manner. Against this backdrop, this holistic approach is not equated with the completeness of a range of furniture or a family of products. This would ultimately take into account only a partial aspect of the office as a working environment. On the basis of this holistic perspective, New Ergonomics always takes into account the psychomental capability of workers as well. In order to achieve the desired level of fitness, both the physical and spiritual constitution of workers must be combined felicitously. Phases of work, fatigue and relaxation are factors that should be taken into account on an equal level here. In view of this fact, the understanding of New Ergonomics goes beyond the conventional ergonomic DIN standards. It is generally known that such standards merely set out the minimum requirements for individual work areas such as the safe viewing distance for computer monitors or the height of tables etc. The way in which these areas interact with one another is completely ignored in the process.

In contrast, advocates of New Ergonomics plan office environments in a holistic and therefore preventative manner. In order to do so, they take into account at an early stage the needs of human beings as part of the work process. At the same time, they incorporate the very latest findings from a range of specialist fields such as architecture, facility management, acoustics, ergonomics, work sciences etc. On this basis, it is possible to design with room scemes in a holistic manner, meeting the needs of workers. However, this "humanisation of the working environment" is reflected not only in the design of offices and workstations. It is also taken into account, down to the very last detail, in the technical features of office chairs.

Does sitting necessarily have to make people ill?
Office chairs are and remain a fixed variable in day-to-day office life. Indeed, a number of jobs can be performed most easily when a person is sitting down. The negative consequences of the daily sitting marathon such as muscular tension, back problems or headaches can be avoided by deliberately alternating between tension and relaxation while sitting. A fundamental objective of New Ergonomics, whose advocates include Dauphin HumanDesign Group GmbH & Co., is to support this process. In this context human beings, their workplace, and their duties as part of the work process, form an interconnected system that is mutually influential. On the basis of this way of thinking, advocates of New Ergonomics also view the human body in a holistic manner, defining for example the human posture in terms of the interaction of passive (intervertebral discs, vertebral joints, ligaments, vertebral bodies), active (musculature) and forming (brain, nerves, spinal cord) components. This way of thinking has resulted in preventative technologies that, in good functional chairs, support the passive musculoskeletal system responsible for posture in any situation. The active locomotor apparatus is provided with dynamism. This in turn has a positive and motivating effect on the psyche. Nevertheless, caution should be exercised - this does not mean sliding about on a comfortable chair. Uncontrolled movements are thoroughly capable of exacerbating existing posture problems. Only dynamics achieved through physiologically controlled sitting, in accordance with the holistic New Ergonomics approach, is the key to prevention and the promotion of health.

In an interconnected "workstation" unit, items of work equipment such as office chairs must be able to adapt flexibly and, where possible, intuitively to people's movement, needs and working requirements. This applies all the more to those workstations at which a series of different people have to work. After all, every person is different. There are normal-sized, very large and very small people. In particular office chairs designed according to a building-block principle are able to cater for the unique requirements of each individual. Such chair systems compensate flexibly for the relationship between the appropriate seat height for a user and his or her individual body size.

The New Ergonomics seat features
By purposefully applying the principles of New Ergonomics, the Dauphin HumanDesign Group has developed special features for physiologically controlled sitting. By way of example, the patented "Syncro-Dynamic" seat feature allows dynamic sitting in an upright seated posture. With this feature, the seat and backrest follow the movements of the person sitting in a synchronised manner and at the correct angle at all times. Once the chair has been adjusted to the user's individual body weight, the constant backrest counterpressure ensures a balanced seated posture throughout the movement process - experts refer to this as automatic weight compensation.

The "Syncro-Activ-Balance" seat feature allows the entire upper part of the chair to be infinitely adjusted forwards (seat tilt of up to -12°) as well as backwards (backrest tilt of up to 128°). The automatic seat-tilt adjustment feature provides impulses that straighten the spinal column. The seat-tilt feature causes the pelvis to tilt forwards and the thorax is lifted and the cervical spine stretched. In addition, the backrest with its wide forward adjustment range (up to 78°) supports the lumbar spine, even in the foremost seated posture. If desired, the seat depth can be adjusted perfectly to the body size of both very large and very small people using the sliding seat.

The opening angle (128°) of the backrest invites users to relax physically while sitting, something that could be beneficial during creative pauses for thought or long telephone calls for example. At the same time, advocates of New Ergonomics make sure that such technical features can be operated both simply and intuitively in order to ensure that these are actually used. As a result, it is possible to cater for the needs of alternating users with different builds quickly.

Everything in balance
Office chairs with seat features based upon the findings of New Ergonomics are capable of compensating for the physical energy balance between movement and rest, and strain and relaxation. For instance, at the very point in time when a user's' awareness of body posture is compromised, (as a result of concentrating on their work), the user endeavours to support the body in every conceivable sitting position. Either in a manner which is geared to the spinal column, easy on the intervertebral discs, or which spares the muscles. Users sit in an upright posture and maintain their equilibrium in all sitting positions. Contemporary seating solutions of this type help to resolve the negative effects of the day-to-day sitting marathon and, as a result, increase workers' desire to perform well. After all, productivity is a question of posture.