The materials that pass in and out of a cleanroom are subject to strict regulations. The furniture that cleanroom specialists use during their daily operations are subject to these standards as well.
Cleanroom employees spend hours a day sitting at their workstation. As a result, the chair they sit on is crucial to their productivity and daily work experience. To increase employee morale and work quality, cleanroom supervisors should consider investing in high-caliber, ergonomic, and comfortable cleanroom chairs.
Finding a cleanroom-approved chair depends on a variety of factors, including its materials, its durability and flexibility, its ESD qualifications, and how employees fit and feel in the chair itself.
Material Specifications
Cleanrooms must be free of dust, dirt, shedding fabric, and other forms of debris. These materials can seriously harm the equipment and products present in a cleanroom. As a result, the material of a cleanroom chair must not compromise the cleanroom’s daily operations.
A chair must be non-shedding to avoid creating debris and nonporous to avoid collecting
it. The chair must be easy to clean for when spills, debris, and other messes happen. All materials should fit the ISO classification of the cleanroom.
Durability
A high quality cleanroom chair should last for a long time. The chair will be exposed to harsh chemicals and other materials that might spill or leak onto it. When this happens, the chair should not corrode easily or break down – otherwise, it will need replacement.
Flexibility
Cleanrooms are not fixed workspaces. Often, employees will need to move around or rearrange furniture to accomplish a certain task. Multiple operations can take place in the same cleanroom and employees will need the ability to work around each other.
A cleanroom chair should be able to move around a workspace easily. It should have wheels or be easy to push, lift, and set down.
ESD Qualifications
If the cleanroom handles materials with high amounts of static electricity, the materials within the cleanroom are at risk of Electrostatic Discharge, or ESD. ESD happens when two non-conducting materials are in contact for a period of time and static electricity builds up on the surface.
When an employee sits on a chair, static electricity collects between their clothes and 
their chair. When they get up, the next thing they touch will receive an amount of static electricity. Humans have a static electricity tolerance of 20,000 volts, meaning that a person won’t feel an electric shock below 20,000 volts. However, electronic devices are much more sensitive. Many only have a tolerance of 1 volt or less, and irreversible damage occurs at 100 volts. If working around static sensitive devices, a cleanroom chair with ESD properties is recommended.
Employee Comfort and Fit
If a cleanroom employee does not fit or feel comfortable in their chair, they will be less productive and their work will suffer. Ergonomics, which is the study of workplace efficiency, states that in order for a chair to reach peak comfort, it must:
- Be adjustable in height and depth
- Be stable and not wobble
- Have nonrestrictive armrests
- Be mobile and have wheels
- Be able to recline
- Fit the user well
Employees have different bodies from one another, so one chair won’t fit everyone equally. Allowing employees to pick their own chair or state their needs for a comfortable chair will ensure that they feel happy and productive in the cleanroom.
Finding the perfect chair for cleanroom employees depends upon the industry, the specific physical activities the employees participates in on a daily basis, and the preferences of each individual for how their chair fits and feels.
High-quality cleanroom chairs are a worthy investment. Visit Correct Products to explore our cleanroom chair options today.