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What do I need to know about selecting foam interiors?

Foam interiors for furniture are required to be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. This means they are expected to adequately support a user throughout the life of the furniture. Selection of the wrong foam can result in excessive cushion softening which manifests itself as cushion hollowing, loss of comfort, bottoming out, cushion collapse and cover bagging.

What do I need to know to sell domestic seating in the UK?

All domestic seating products must be fit for purpose, of satisfactory quality and safe. The fire safety of domestic upholstered seating is controlled by legislation – not discussed here for more information click on ‘Upholstered furniture regs intro’ The General Product Safety Regulations acts as a catch all relating to other safety issues or concerns and as such the producer must be able to demonstrate he has taken steps to ensure the product is safe

What do I need to know to sell domestic storage units in the UK?

All domestic products must be fit for purpose, of satisfactory quality and safe. The General Product Safety Regulations acts as a catch all relating to other safety issues or concerns and as such the producer must be able to demonstrate he has taken steps to ensure the product is safe.

What do I need to know to sell mattresses, divans and bed bases in the UK?

Domestic mattresses, divans and bed bases are required to be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. The fire safety of these items is controlled by legislation - not discussed here but for further information click on Fire safety controls - domestic beds

What do I need to know to sell office seating in the UK?

Office seating must be safe and suitable for use. Defining characteristics for performance and safety include: stability, strength, durability, fire safety.

Leather types, characteristics and maintenance

Leather can be made from the skin of any animal. Most leather is grain leather finished by various methods to produce different effects. Leather furniture in a normal domestic environment should need little attention, cleaning should only be carried out when necessary.

What do I need to know to sell "Rise-Recliner" chairs in the UK?

Back in 2000 a fatal accident occurred involving an 8 year old girl who became caught in the mechanism of a rise/recline chair. Following this, and in the absence of any European Safety Standard for this type of product, a decision was made to produce a British Standard to try to improve the safety of this type of product.

A new British Standard for Children's beds - BS 8509: 2008

BS 8509:2008 Children's beds for domestic use. Safety requirements and test methods - has now been published as a full British Standard.

What do I need to know to sell Furniture Hardware in the UK?

The term furniture hardware covers a multitude of products. It basically covers the metal and plastic components that go into making an item of furniture. This article looks at the standards and new European requirements for furniture hardware items.

What do I need to know to sell domestic tables in the UK?

All domestic table products must be fit for purpose, of satisfactory quality and safe. The General Product Safety Regulations acts as a catch all relating to other safety issues or concerns and as such the producer must be able to demonstrate he has taken steps to ensure the product is safe.

Upholstered Furniture Fire safety regulations – measurement of ignitability

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations contain a series of Schedules which detail the method by which upholstery materials are to be tested to demonstrate compliance.

A New Standard For Children's Cots

A new set of European Standards for children's cots has recently been published: BS-EN 716-1:2008 and BS-EN 716-2:2008

What are the UK requirements for glass in furniture?

Glass in furniture must be safe. The General Product Safety Regulations place a duty of care on manufacturers, producers and distributors to ensure products supplied to consumers are safe. In the case of glass in furniture enforcement authorities in the UK expect only safety glass to be used in tables and storage units. This can be shown through compliance with relevant standards

Lean operations – a case study at Wesley-Barrell

Ukfirst master engineers work with Wesley-Barrell on the development of lean processes to enable companies to develop ways to become more competitive by working with the people who know it best – the employees

Advanced communication - a revolution in after sales service

FIRA’s after sales service provider ‘Service Technicians’ has the facilities to handle all complaints relating to furniture, including upholstery (fabric & leather) cabinet and beds over the internet, guaranteeing to help relieve pressures and significantly reduce administration workloads. As a single service provider there is an ease of communication compared to using many subcontractors or other parties. This, combined with the extensive up to date technology employed, means FIRA has become the leader in using advanced communication systems in its service provision.

What do I need to know to sell kitchen furniture in the UK?

The suitability and safety of kitchen furniture is in many ways more important than some other sectors of the domestic furniture market. All kitchen furniture must be fit for purpose, of satisfactory quality and safe.

What do I need to know to sell office storage units in the UK?

Office storage units must be safe and suitable for use. Defining characteristics for performance and safety include stability, strength and durability

What do I need to know to sell storage units for educational use in the UK?

All storage units destined for educational use products must be fit for purpose, of satisfactory quality and safe. Educational use covers a multitude of applications, from nursery schools through to sixth form colleges, universities and colleges for further education. This presents problems in designing and testing products as different age ranges of students can be vastly different in size and have different needs. Whilst many of the features of educational storage furniture are similar to those of other storage units there are some unique features such as removable containers and trays that are rarely seen outside of nursery furniture applications. As schools and colleges have to provide a safe environment for their charges it is essential that educational furniture meets the required standards

What do I need to know to sell contract seating in the UK?

In general contract seating is considered to be seating used in any application other than the home, however specific requirements exist for outdoor seating, office seating and educational seating and so these are not considered here. Contract seating therefore covers applications such as hotels, cafes, churches, stadiums, waiting rooms, transport termini and hospitals.

What do I need to know to sell contract tables in the UK?

In general contract table products are considered to be products used in any application other than the home, however specific requirements exist for tables for outdoor, office and educational use and so these are not considered here. Contract table product standards therefore cover applications such as hotels, cafes, churches, waiting rooms, and transport termini.

What do I need to know to sell storage units for contract use in the UK?

In general, storage units for contract use can be considered to be storage units used in any application other than the home. However specific requirements exist for hospital, office and educational use and so these are not considered here. Contract storage therefore covers applications such as hotels, churches, stadiums, barracks and prisons.

What do I need to know to sell outdoor furniture in the UK?

All outdoor furniture products must be fit for purpose, of satisfactory quality and safe

Stability of domestic seating

All domestic seating products must be fit for purpose, of satisfactory quality and safe. BS EN 1022: 1997 used to define the stability of domestic seating, a key safety issue has been revised and is now available as BS EN 1022: 2005

What is cable management?

Cable management refers to the provision of distribution systems for electrical power, data and communications cabling in office desking and screens. This includes cable trays, power sockets etc used for computers, computer networks and telephones

What do I need to know to sell homeware products in the UK?

Homewares comprise a diverse range of household objects including such products as table mats, coasters, chopping boards, serving trays, napkin rings, soap dishes, bathroom slatted mats, chromed metal bathroom fittings and so on. Further, many of these products are manufactured from such disparate materials as plastics, wood, wood derivatives (e.g. hardboard MDF), straw, paper, fabric, metal, ceramic and shell and in almost endless variation and combination of these.

List of standards applicable to the sale of childcare products in the UK

Summary of products and standards relating to the manufacture, specification and sale of furniture and related products intended for use by children in the UK. Updated July 2008

Childcare products – toys or furniture?

Within the furniture and child care product industries there is confusion surrounding the classification of childcare products. It is important that the difference between a toy and an item of furniture is correctly established as the standards and test methods applicable to these two categories of product are substantially different.

Water damage to kitchen worktops

Most worktops are constructed from a wood based particleboard substrate (chipboard), typically 28mm or 38mm thickness, and surfaced with a 0.7mm thick decorative facing laminate. A backing laminate of similar type and thickness is sometimes added to ensure panel stability, as well as providing, in the case of kitchen worktops, a barrier against water ingress

What do I need to know to sell highchairs in the UK?

Summary of highchair testing and specification requirements taking account of the current standards and possible introduction of a European standard

Fixed height desks and ergonomics

The ergonomics principle used in determining the height of fixed height desking is to allow the largest users in the intended user group sit at the desk without the top of their thighs hitting the underside of the desk. In other words, fixed height desks are designed for the tall people and the majority of people would need height adjustable chair and shorter users would also need a footrest.

Using after sales service to reduce costs and save time

All too often the easy solution for maximising customer satisfaction is to respond to a complaint by offering a replacement. Outsourcing customer complaints and after sales service is much more efficient and cost effective. The service is designed around the concept that large cost savings will accrue if a customer can be persuaded to keep a product that is subject to complaint in the home rather than replacing it, or offering a refund.

The lean office

'Lean' is normally associated with process improvements and waste elimination on a shop floor level. However, for an organisation to be truly lean, the administration processes must also be given an overhaul. Failure to apply the same techniques to the office activities as have already been applied to shop floor operations can easily result in stalled or regressed factory initiatives

Performance of furniture finishes and surfaces

The performance of furniture finishes and surfaces is defined in FIRA Standard 6250, which has its origins in British Standard 6250: 1991 Part 3. BSI formally withdrew this standard in 1999. The withdrawal of this standard came about as result of a review of test procedures and a move toward harmonisation of standards throughout Europe. Whilst common agreement was established for the test procedures the goal of a commonly agreed performance specification across Europe has yet to be established

2001 Anthropometric survey of school children in England

FIRA’s Ergonomics Unit undertook an anthropometric Survey of school children in England in March April 2001. The survey was jointly funded by FIRA, DfEE (Department for Education and Employment) and British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA). A total of 1393 children aged between 4 and 16 years were measured for their weight, stature, standing elbow height, popliteal length, popliteal height, shoulder breadth and sitting elbow height

Office chair dimensions and European chair dimension standard (EN 1335 Part 1)

It is over 15 years since standardisation work began on office chairs. It is now complete and the standard BS EN 1335, Office Furniture-office work chairs will shortly being published in three parts.

Myths and facts about height adjustable desks

Fixed height office desks have been around since the conception of offices. Work practices, types of workers, our knowledge on ergonomics, and health & safety requirements have been changing continuously yet we still use fixed height desks.

Reduce upholstery fabric complaints through testing

When designing or selecting upholstery fabrics performance requirements should not be an afterthought but a first consideration, and if suitable levels are not achievable the fabric is not suitable for use no matter how attractive it may be.

Fire safety controls – non-domestic or contract mattresses, divans and bed bases

There are no mandatory regulations in the non-domestic/contract furniture sector that detail precisely the ignition resistance requirements for furniture. However, the fire safety of the premises in which the furniture is used is controlled by the Fire Precautions Act.

Fire Safety Controls – non-domestic or contract upholstered seating

There are no mandatory regulations in the non-domestic/contract furniture sector that detail precisely the ignition resistance requirements for furniture. However, the fire safety of the premises in which the furniture is used is controlled by the Fire Precautions Act.

What do I need to know to sell office tables and desks in the UK?

Office desks must be safe and suitable for use. Defining characteristics for performance and safety include: stability, strength, durability.

How can I be comfortable sitting at work?

The nature of office work can result in people spending prolonged periods of time in the seated position. It is vital therefore that any seat provides stable bodily support in a position that is comfortable over a period of time, physiologically sound and appropriate to the task

How does office furniture (desks and chairs) comply with the display screen equipment (DSE) regulations?

The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) guidance document on the Display Screen Equipment Regulations state that standards will provide specifications for new equipment, they may also be used as a yardstick for assessing the suitability of existing installations. The guidance notes go further by stating that workstations, which comply with the appropriate standards cited in the guidance, would meet, and in most cases exceed the relevant requirements of the Display Screen Regulations.

Sit-stand height adjustable desks

Fixed height office desks have been around since the conception of offices. Work practices, types of workers, our knowledge on ergonomics, and health & safety requirements have been changing continuously yet we still use fixed height desks.

Upholstered Furniture Fire Safety Regulations – fabric treatment options

The furniture regulations specify a level of ignition resistance for all upholstery fabrics but they do not insist on a cover fabric being flame retardant treated. Nevertheless most cover fabrics need some form of treatment to satisfy the fire safety regulations.

Upholstered Furniture Fire Safety Regulations – requirements for covers

The UK furniture regulations set specific ignition requirements for all external covers used in the production of upholstered furniture. This means any fabric supplied to provide or replace the permanent cover on furniture.

Furnishing the benefits of workplace noise reduction

By researching the use of acoustically advanced composite technology in the design and manufacture of office furniture, a consortium led by FIRA International Ltd (Furniture Industry Research Association) hopes to help reduce noise in the working environment. The work is designed to identify materials suitable for use in office partitions, desks, cupboards, drawers and filing cabinets, to build prototypes and test their structural and acoustic performance.

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