Office chairs regulations: the definitive guide

Today we will illustrate the regulations concerning office chairs, clarifying the main characteristics and peculiarities related to these furnishings.

Before going into the merits of the argument, it is good to specify how the law that regulates the matter of office chairs considers them a device and as such must necessarily be characterized by specific standards.

Conformity of office chairs

The rules governing the production of office chairs have the main purpose of ensuring a high standard of comfort and well-being to all people who spend their days sitting at a desk in front of their computer.

The normative regulation has therefore the function of outlining the main characteristics and peculiarities that must affect an office chair. It is precisely the characteristics of an office chair, the fundamental element that can ensure maximum safety of workers, preserving their health.

The source that must be cited on this subject is the Consolidated Law on Safety at Work, with reference to Legislative Decree 81/2008 (ergonomic chair characteristics 8108): with this measure the legislator has provided a series of specific criteria for manufacturers of office chairs, which they must strictly adhere to, starting from the design phase of the product. These criteria determine the conformity of an office chair.

Occupational Safety Consolidation Act - Office Chairs

With the introduction of the Occupational Safety Consolidation Act, the previous legislation dating back to 1998 has been reformed. With the new decree, the intent of the legislator is aimed at protecting the psychophysical health of workers, preventing potential damage that could threaten the latter. For this reason, the regulations relating to the Consolidation Act concern the production and use of office chairs.

Ergonomic office chairs: characteristics and peculiarities

A fundamental characteristic of an office chair is represented by the ergonomics: an office chair must first of all be ergonomic, also ensuring a perfect stability. An office chair should also be equipped with a comfortable backrest capable of allowing the right configuration of height and inclination. These features are obviously aimed at ensuring that the worker is in a position that is as healthy and comfortable as possible, as well as suitable and safe. With the daily use of an ergonomic chair will be able to avert the onset of potential immediate or future physical damage that affect the physical health of the worker.

An ergonomic office chair must necessarily be characterized by high standards of dynamism and freedom of movement.

With particular reference to the ergonomics of an office chair, here is a summary of the main regulations in force at national and EU level:

Standards relating to the dimensions of an office chair -UNI EN 1335-1: 2000: this standard is expressed in the determination of the dimensions of an office chair, specifying on the merits the dimensions of three types of chairs and the related test methods for determining these dimensions.

Type A: more restrictive dimensional requirements. This typology respects more than all the others the anthropomorphic dimensions of the 5th and 95th percentile of people (it fully complies with Legislative Decree 81/'08).

Type B: Intermediate dimensional requirements. This typology respects smaller anthropometric percentiles and is sufficient to cover the minimum functions expressly required by Legislative Decree 81/'08.

Type C: minimum dimensional requirements. Typical typology of executive chairs with basic mechanisms or swivel guest chairs. Type C does not comply with the provisions of Legislative Decree 81/'08.

Standards relating to the safety requirements of an office chair

UNI EN 1335-2:2009: safety requirements - The standard specifies the mechanical safety requirements of office chairs.

Standards related to stability test methods of an office chair

UNI EN 1335-3:2009: test methods - The standard specifies test methods for testing the stability, strength and durability of office work chairs.

Adjustments of an ergonomic office chair

In office chairs there is no obligation to have armrests: the furniture can in fact be equipped with armrests or not, allowing, however, the possibility of being adjusted in height.

The backrest of an office chair must necessarily express maximum functionality and adequately support the lumbosacral area of the operator: this area is in fact particularly prone to soreness and contractures.

The seat, on the other hand, must be able to adapt to the build of the worker.

Both the backrest and the seat of an office chair should also be characterized by the presence of rounded edges, so as to avoid injuries and potential physical damage to people. Another feature of the seat of an office chair is its swivel movement.

Finally, it should be noted that each ergonomic office chair must be accompanied by its own manual of use and maintenance, written in several languages.

Office chairs: European regulations

In addition to the national legislation is in force a Community legislation that regulates the production and marketing of ergonomic office chairs. We are talking about the European standard UNI EN 1335, which indicates what should be the dimensions of the furniture and the respective requirements for safety, stability and strength.

The EU legislation gives particular importance to the requirement of stability: just think in this regard that the stay for a long time on a chair not able to maintain an optimal balance, exposes the worker to the potential risk of falling ruinously to the ground with potential significant physical damage.

Safety represents an essential element for a chair used in the workplace: only the highest safety standards will be effective in preserving the safety of a worker in the workplace.

Another fundamental aspect of European legislation is the pursuit of worker well-being: for this reason it is established that an office chair must establish the maintenance of a position suitable for the height of the operator, and the type of activity carried out by the latter. The seat must also be able to support the legs and lumbar area in an appropriate manner.

Below is a brief outline of the dimensions of the various components that make up an office chair:

• Backrest: minimum height of 220 millimeters (if the backrest is height-adjustable) and 260 millimeters minimum, (if the backrest is not height-adjustable); minimum width of 360 millimeters; minimum top edge height of 360 millimeters
• Seat: minimum surface depth of 380 millimeters; minimum width of 400 millimeters
• Base: maximum projection of 365 millimeters.

Safety of an office chair

As far as the safety aspect of an office chair is concerned, the European legislation indicates specific criteria and related testing systems. These criteria are essential to evaluate the stability of each type of chair (not only office chairs).

The test systems have therefore been harmonized for an overall assessment of the stability of all chairs sold on the European market. EU legislation has also introduced a new system for the examination of the stability of the seat angle, for each type of chair, bringing the load from 27 to 30 kilograms.

For an evaluation of safety and stability of an office chair, the current legislation provides for a specific set of loads and test cycles. The latter indicate the respective reference values within which the results of tests carried out on office chairs must be maintained.

Office chair: fire class

An office chair must necessarily be made with the help of fireproof material. In this regard, the reaction to fire of each product is defined by the standard UNI CEI EN ISO 13943/2004. The reaction to fire of a material is defined as the way in which it contributes with its own decomposition to the fire to which it is subjected under certain circumstances.

Reaction to fire, however, should not be confused with resistance to fire: the latter is in fact defined by the above-mentioned standard as "the ability of an element to retain for a specified period of time the required stability and/or tightness, and/or thermal insulation to fire, and/or any other performance expected defined in a standardized test of resistance to fire".

Here are the classifications of reaction to fire in force in Italy, with the exclusion of products subject to the directive CE/89/106:

• Class 0 (zero): for non-combustible materials
• Class 1 (the most severe), 2, 3, 4, 5: for combustible materials (with the exception of upholstered furniture)
• Classes 1/IM (the strictest), 2/IM and 3/IM for upholstered furniture.

Lastly, it should be pointed out that fireproof chairs are products made with the aid of materials and components subject to rigorous controls and very strict certifications, given the importance that these furnishings have. Fireproof chairs are, therefore, models of seats that are suitable and suitable for resisting the action of fire for a long time and, therefore, designed for certain work environments where it is necessary to respect these prerogatives.

Tests for the safety of an office chair

But what are the tests to which an office chair is subjected, before being marketed? The tests for an office chair to be compliant will concern:

• The static load of the footrest
• The static load of the front end
• The fatigue that will be exerted on the backrest
• The static load of the backrest
• The fatigue that will be exerted on the armrests (if the chair is equipped with them)
• The static load on the armrests before stability
• The static load on the armrests after stability