Long periods sitting in front of the video terminal, in assembly or customer reception/help stations (info point, front office) require
adequate seatings capable of maintaining correct postures in order to avoid numbness of the limbs or, even worse, lower back pain.
If for the office we refer on the now well-known EN 1335-1:2020+A1:2022 and EN 1335-2:2018, with its dimensional and strength requirements, when we are in other work environments, for example
in workshops, laboratories, cash registers, ticket offices... what standard should be referred to?In Europe, we are currently uncovered but at the Italian National level the UNI Technical Commission has developed
UNI 10814 "Work seating - Construction characteristics, requirements and test methods", published in 2004 and revised in February 2019, with the aim of defining guidelines for construction characteristics, dimensions and evaluation of safety requirements.
As for some others national standards, this one also refers to European standards for its assessments:
- EN 1335-1:2000 for the dimensional aspect. Few but essential dimensions are required for correct posture such as: seat height from the ground, seat depth and width, dimensional requirements of the footrest and distance between the armrests.
- EN 1022 for stability verification
- EN 16139:2013 for the evaluation of safety requirements and for resistance and durability tests. The standard requires a second level (L2 extreme level), with heavy loads and a lot of cycles, which the manufacturer will have to keep in mind during product design and development.
As last information, but not least, standard UNI 10814 requires, like many other standards, that the chairs shall be accompanied by
use and maintenance instructions containing information necessary for the user like information on the correct setting of the seat/backrest, information on the adjustment mechanisms (if present), instructions on the care, maintenance and management of the gas column in case of issues.
As always we remain at your disposal if you need more info.
For info:Andrea Cantarutti
+39 0432 747242
cantarutti@catas.com
