OFFICE AND COMMUNITY CHAIRS
Office and Community Chairs
Reference Standards
Italian Legislative Decree 81/2008
The reference decree for workstations with video terminals entered officially into effect following publication in the Official Journal of the Italian Republic no. 101 of Italian Legislative Decree no. 81 of 9 April 2008 “Implementation of article 1 of law 3 August 2007 no. 123 concerning health and safety in the workplace”.
De facto, this decree has replaced and abrogated the technical reference decree in force hitherto, i.e. Italian decree D.Lgs. 626/1994.
UNI EN 1335 – Office Furniture – Office Work Chair
UNI EN 1335-1:2020 – Dimensions – Determination of dimensions
The norm specifies the dimensions of the types of office work chairs as well as test methods for their determination.
Type A – most restrictive dimensional prescriptions; closer adherence than the other types to the anthropometric dimensions of the 5th and 95th percentiles of people. This type is in full compliance with Italian decree D.Lgs. 81/08.
Type B – intermediate dimensional prescriptions; observes lower anthropometric percentiles, sufficient to cover the minimum functions required by Italian decree D.Lgs. 81/08.
Type C – minimum functions, typical of executive chairs with basic mechanisms rather than swivelling visitor chairs. Does not comply with the requirements of Italian decree D.Lgs. 81/08.
UNI EN 1728 - Furniture - Seating
Test methods for the determination of strength and durability
The standard specifies test methods for the determination of strength and durability of the structure of all types of seating without regard to use, materials, design/construction or manufacturing process.
Test methods for the assessment of ageing, degradation, ergonomics and electrical functions are not included.
UNI EN 13761
Office Furniture – Visitor chair (withdrawn)
The standard specifies dimensions and safety requirements for visitor chairs.
The dimensional requirements are not applicable to easy chairs.
UNI EN 15373
Furniture - Strength, durability and safety - Requirements for non-domestic seating (withdrawn)
UNI EN 16139
Furniture - Strength, durability and safety - Requirements for non-domestic seating
The standard specifies requirements for the safety, strength and durability requirements of all types of non-domestic seating for adults with a maximum weight of 110 kg, including office visitor chairs.
It does not apply to ranked seating, office work chairs, chairs for educational institutions, outdoor seating and to links for linked seating for which European standards or drafts exist.
Furthermore, it is not applicable to work chairs for industrial use.
The European Standard does not include requirements for resistance to ageing, degradation and flammability.
UNI EN 12727 - Furniture - Ranked seating - Test methods and requirements for strength and durability
The standard specifies test methods and requirements determining the structural strength and durability of the structure of all types of ranked seating, (e.g. stadium and auditorium seating) which are permanently fastened to the floor and/or walls, whether in the form of benches or individual seats.
A table of tests with four choices of loads is included.
This standard applies to seating permanently fixed in ranks but does not apply to linked upright chairs not fastened to the floor and/or walls.
Fire prevention
UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE UNI 9175 – Reaction to fire of upholstered furniture subjected to the action of a small flame –
Test method and classification.
The standard describes a method for the assessment of combustion and classification in the presence or absence of a flame and/or smouldering of upholstered furniture.
RIGID FURNITURE UNI 9174 – Reaction to fire of products that can be touched by flame with radiant heating.
The standard describes a method for determination of the flame propagation rate along a surface, of the afterglow time, of the damaged area and drip burn on a specimen subjected to the action of an ignition flame in the presence of radiant heat.
This test is applicable to all materials that can be used in the production of furniture/chairs (e.g. polypropylene, wood, etc.).
INDIVIDUAL MATERIALS – Reference tests.
Metals
UNI EN ISO 9227 – Corrosion tests in artificial atmospheres – Salt spray tests.
The standard specifies the apparatus, reagents and procedure to be used in conducting the tests for assessment of the corrosion resistance of metallic materials with or without permanent corrosion protection or temporary corrosion protection.
Textiles
UNI EN ISO 105-B02 – Tests for colour fastness – Colour fastness to artificial light: Xenon arc fading lamp test. (XENOTEST)
The standard specifies a test method for determining the resistance of the colour of textiles of all kinds and in all forms to the action of an artificial light source representative of natural daylight.
UNI EN ISO 105-X12 – Tests for colour fastness – Colour fastness to rubbing. (CROCKMETER)
The standard specifies a method for determining the resistance of the colour of textiles of all kinds, including textile floor coverings and other pile fabrics, to rubbing off and staining other materials. The method is applicable to textiles made from all fibres in the form of yarn or fabric, including textile floor coverings, whether dyed or printed. Two tests may be carried out, one with a dry rubbing cloth and one with a wet rubbing cloth.
UNI EN ISO 105-X12 – Tests for colour fastness – Colour fastness to perspiration.
The standard specifies a method for determining the resistance of the colour of textiles of all kinds and in all forms to the action of human perspiration.
UN EN ISO 12947-2 – Determination of the abrasion resistance of fabrics by the Martindale method – Determination of specimen breakdown.
UNI EN ISO 12945-1 – Determination of fabric propensity to surface fuzzing and to pilling – Pilling box method.
UNI EN 12127 – Fabrics – Determination of mass per unit area using small samples.
Flexible ellular polymeric materials
UNI EN ISO 845 – Cellular plastics and rubbers – Determination of apparent density.
UNI EN ISO 1856 – Flexible cellular polymeric materials – Determination of compression set.
UNI EN ISO 3385 – Flexible cellular polymeric materials – Determination of fatigue by constant-load pounding.
UNI EN ISO 2439 – Flexible cellular polymeric materials – Determination of hardness (indentation technique).
Painted wood components
UNI 10782 – Determination of hardness (Pencil test).
UNI EN ISO 2409 – Cross-cut test.
UNI EN 717-2 – Formaldehyde release by the gas analysis method.
