CCTV's Evaluation of Office Chairs

The reports by CCTV about the unqualified office chairs are true, with multiple safety risks and a relatively high non-compliance rate.

I. Non-compliance Situation and Proportion According to the spot-check results of office chairs released by the State Administration for Market Regulation, among the 90 batches of products from 90 enterprises in 11 provinces and municipalities, 21 batches were found to be non-compliant, with a non-compliance rate of 23.3% for the batches of office chairs inspected. This data indicates that the quality situation of office chairs in the market is not optimistic, with a considerable proportion of products having quality issues.

II. Types of Non-compliant Office Chairs Among the non-compliant products, office swivel chairs accounted for the vast majority. Out of the 21 batches of non-compliant office chairs, 17 batches were swivel chairs. This may be because the structure of swivel chairs is relatively complex, involving more components and manufacturing processes, making them more prone to quality issues during production.

III. Existing Safety Risks

1. Explosion Risk: Some non-compliant office chairs pose an explosion risk, mainly due to the substandard quality of components such as gas springs. The gas spring is a key component of office swivel chairs. If its quality is poor, it may explode during use, causing serious harm to the user.
2. Excessive Formaldehyde: Formaldehyde is a harmful substance, and long-term exposure can be detrimental to human health. Non-compliant office chairs may use materials containing excessive amounts of formaldehyde, leading to formaldehyde exceeding the standard. Users may inhale formaldehyde during use, triggering respiratory diseases and other issues.
3. Risk of Causing Falls: Problems such as the base breaking and casters falling off in some office chairs can cause the chair to lose stability during use, leading to the user falling and suffering physical injuries.
4. Other Risks: In addition to the above risks, non-compliant office chairs may also have other safety hazards, such as unstable structures and loose components, which can affect the safety and normal use of the user.