Foreword

Publishing information

This British Standard is published by BSI Standards Limited, under licence from The British Standards Institution, and came into effect on 31 July 2013. It was prepared by Subcommittee FW/0/2, Domestic and contract furniture, under the authority of Technical Committee FW/0, Furniture. A list of organizations represented on these committees can be obtained on request to their secretary.

Supersession

This British Standard supersedes BS 8474:2006, which is withdrawn.

Information about this document

This is a full revision of the standard and incorporates the following principle changes.

a) The standard now specifies performance requirements for chairs suitable for users weighing up to 110 kg and up to 160 kg.
b) Requirements regarding shear and squeeze points are not specified. Instead, a motion lockout control is specified that can be operated by the user or a responsible person to prevent unintended movement of the chair.

The requirements of this standard are based on tests intended to reproduce normal use and common types of misuse to which chairs with electrically operated support surfaces could be subjected. However, the tests do not reproduce any abuse to which the chair might be subjected.

Manufacturers and importers of chairs with electrically operated support surfaces should be aware that if any part of the marketing of their products can be interpreted as claiming that a product is:

“intended by the manufacturer to be used for human beings for the purpose of:

• treatment or alleviation of disease;
• treatment, alleviation of or compensation for an injury or handicap;”

such chairs might be considered to be medical devices and therefore subject to the provisions of EC Directive 93/42/EEC (the Medical Devices Directive) [1].

All aspects of marketing may be considered when deciding if a product is a medical device, including point of sale claims. Manufacturers who do not have control over claims made at the point of sale are advised to consider whether they should take legal advice regarding their position.

Hazard warnings

WARNING This British Standard calls for the use of procedures that can be injurious to health if adequate precautions are not taken. It refers only to technical suitability and does not absolve the user from legal obligations relating to health and safety at any stage.

Presentational conventions

The provisions of this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Its requirements are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “shall”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

In particular, attention is drawn to the following specific regulations:

• The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended) [2];
• The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 1994 [3].

BS 8474:2013

Furniture. Chairs with electrically operated support surfaces. Requirements

Current

Published:

31 Jul 2013