Office Chair Sudden Explosion

The sudden explosion of an office chair mainly refers to the explosion caused by component defects in pneumatic lifting swivel chairs, which mostly occurs in low-quality pneumatic rod products.

Causes of Explosion

• Thin Wall of the Pneumatic Rod: If the container wall of the pneumatic rod is not sturdy enough or made of inferior material, it may not be able to withstand the internal pressure changes, leading to gas eruption and explosion. However, the probability of explosion caused by air leakage from the pneumatic rod is relatively low.
• Insufficient Purity of Inert Gas or Replacement with Compressed Air: Pneumatic rods are generally filled with nitrogen. If the gas purity is insufficient or mixed with oxygen or other substances, explosion may occur under high-temperature conditions or frequent friction. Some unscrupulous merchants, in order to make more profits, fill the pneumatic rods with compressed air instead. The oxygen in the air can cause oxidation reactions over time, leading to explosion.
• Frequent Lifting Leading to Sudden Temperature Increase: Pneumatic lifting swivel chairs achieve lifting through pressure differences. Frequent lifting can cause the internal temperature of the pneumatic rod to rise. If there are issues with gas purity as mentioned above, explosion is more likely to occur.

Explosion Cases

The earliest explosion case can be traced back to the 2007 seat explosion incident 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 2013, Ms. Liu suffered severe injuries and fell into a coma when her lifting chair exploded while she was blowing her hair. In 2017, an office chair explosion in Anhui damaged a computer case. In 2020, a spot check found that some staff chairs produced by certain enterprises posed explosion risks.

Preventive Measures

• Purchase Products from Regular Manufacturers: It is advisable to choose products priced above 200 yuan. Regular manufacturers follow relevant standards during the production process, ensuring better product quality.
• Check the Smoothness of Pneumatic Rod Lifting: When purchasing, you can personally test-sit the chair to feel whether the lifting of the pneumatic rod is smooth. If there are any stutters or abnormal noises during lifting, there may be quality issues.
• Ensure the Installation of Explosion-Proof Steel Plates: An explosion-proof steel plate with a thickness of no less than 2 millimeters should be installed between the seat cushion and the pneumatic rod. The explosion-proof steel plate can to some extent block the impact force generated by the explosion of the pneumatic rod and reduce injuries to the human body.