Danger of Swivel Office Chairs
Swivel office chairs do pose certain risks, primarily stemming from component defects in pneumatic lift-type swivel chairs, especially those with inferior pneumatic rods.
Causes of Danger
Pneumatic rods are filled with high-pressure gas inside. Regular products use inert nitrogen, which can withstand thousands of kilograms of pressure. However, if unscrupulous manufacturers replace it with compressed air, the oxygen in the air will erode the metal inner walls, making the steel brittle. Additionally, the heat generated by daily lifting and lowering friction will cause the internal pressure to continuously rise. In situations such as exposure to summer sun, sudden sitting down, or the presence of tiny cracks inside, an explosion may occur.
Injury Cases
Several cases of swivel chair explosions causing injuries have occurred in China. In 2013, Ms. Liu in Fujian was sitting on a swivel chair while blow-drying her hair when the chair exploded. A steel pipe about two centimeters in diameter pierced through her lower body. Doctors removed various fragments from her abdomen, with several pieces of metal debris remaining in her intestines. In 2007, a chair explosion occurred in Zhoushan, Zhejiang; in 2009, a 14-year-old boy in Jiaozhou, Shandong, died after a top rod pierced into his body while adjusting a pneumatic chair; in 2017, an office chair explosion in Anhui damaged a computer case.
Quality Issues
According to a spot check by the State Administration for Market Regulation, the failure rate of office chairs reached 23.3% in 2020, with 17 batches being swivel chairs. The main problems were that the high- and low-temperature resistance performance of the pneumatic rods did not meet the standards and the lack of explosion-proof steel plates.
Preventive Measures
To reduce the risks associated with swivel office chairs, the following preventive measures can be taken:
- Choose products from regular manufacturers: It is advisable to select products priced above 200 yuan, as these products generally have stricter quality control and a lower risk of using inferior components.
- Check the smoothness of the pneumatic rod's lifting and lowering: When purchasing, personally experience the lifting and lowering of the pneumatic rod to ensure it is smooth without obvious jams or abnormal noises, which can to some extent reflect the quality of the pneumatic rod.
- Ensure the installation of an explosion-proof steel plate: Check whether an explosion-proof steel plate with a thickness of at least 2 millimeters is installed between the seat cushion and the pneumatic rod. The explosion-proof steel plate can provide a certain degree of blocking in the event of a pneumatic rod explosion, reducing the severity of injuries.
