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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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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

Flat panel monitor support arms

Since the introduction of the PC into the office environment monitor support arms (for CRT monitors) have been used sporadically. They seemed to offer several advantages; the monitor can be adjusted to the desired height and distance on the desk to suit the user, or indeed adjusted to suit any user in a multi-task office. If there is a sufficient place on the desk, the available desk space could be increased and, when the monitors are not in use, but the shear sizes of CRT monitors made this difficult.

What do I need to know to sell bunk beds in the UK?

The supply of bunk beds in the UK are controlled by two sets of safety regulations. The Bunk Beds (Entrapment Hazards) (Safety) Regulations. The General Product Safety Regulations

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.

Full Member Articles

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List of standards relating to furniture and fitments

The following list is available to FIRA members free of charge. The list will be updated from time to time based on information received from the standards’ authorities. Copies of many of the standards are available through our bookshop. FIRA members are entitled to a discount on standards that they purchase through this site.

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