Office Chair High-Pressure Accident

An office chair high-pressure accident refers to the sudden explosion phenomenon of pneumatic lifting swivel chairs caused by component defects, mostly due to inferior pneumatic rods, which seriously threaten personal safety.

Accident Causes

1. Design Defects of Pneumatic Rods: The tube wall of the pneumatic rod is too thin to withstand the impact of high-pressure gas inside. If the purity of the inert gas is insufficient or it is replaced by compressed air, the oxygen in the air will erode the inner metal wall, making the steel brittle. The heat generated by daily lifting and friction further increases the internal pressure, eventually leading to an explosion.
2. Material and Process Issues: Some inferior pneumatic rods do not use high-strength steel or have not undergone strict high- and low-temperature resistance tests, resulting in structural failure during frequent lifting or temperature changes.
3. Improper Use: Frequent lifting causing a sudden increase in temperature, or violent operations (such as sitting down hard or impacting) may accelerate the wear of the pneumatic rod and increase the risk of explosion.

Typical Cases

• In 2013, Ms. Liu in Fujian Province was sitting on a swivel chair to dry her hair when the chair suddenly exploded. A steel tube about two centimeters in diameter shot out, piercing her lower body. Fragments of various shapes were removed from her abdomen, with several pieces of metal debris remaining in her intestines alone.
• In 2009, a 14-year-old boy in Jiaozhou, Shandong, died after a top rod of a pneumatic chair pierced his body while adjusting it.
• In 2017, an office chair explosion in Anhui damaged a computer case.

Preventive Measures

1. Purchase Genuine Products: Give priority to brands priced above 200 yuan that have passed national safety certifications and avoid buying unbranded products.
2. Inspect Key Components:
   • Test the smoothness of the pneumatic rod's lifting and lowering without any jamming or abnormal noises.
   • Ensure that a blast-proof steel plate with a thickness of at least 2 millimeters is installed between the seat cushion and the pneumatic rod to effectively block explosion fragments.
3. Use Properly: Avoid violent operations (such as sitting down hard or jumping), do not disassemble the pneumatic rod without authorization, and regularly check whether the appearance of the pneumatic rod is deformed or leaking gas.
4. Pay Attention to Sampling Inspection Information: According to a sampling inspection by the State Administration for Market Regulation, the non-compliance 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 no blast-proof steel plates were installed. Be vigilant against such products.