2020 Furnishing standards review

In Europe, work is underway on the following:

EN 14749 – ‘Furniture. Domestic and kitchen storage units and kitchen worktops. Safety requirements and test methods’
This standard is being amended to improve the stability requirements for TV furniture. It is expected that the document will go to formal vote early in 2021, resulting in publication towards the end of 2021.

EN 12520 – ‘Furniture. Strength, durability and safety. Requirements for domestic seating’
Preliminary work has started in order to devise requirements for single-column seating, which is not adequately covered by the current standard and related test method standards.

EN 12521 – ‘Furniture. Strength, durability and safety. Requirements for domestic tables’
Preliminary work has begun into requirements for lightweight tables which exist but do not currently meet the requirements of the existing standard.

Internationally work is underway on the revision of ISO 3055 Kitchen equipment. Coordinating sizes. It is currently envisaged that this document will closely resemble EN 1116:2018 – ‘Furniture. Kitchen furniture. Coordinating sizes for kitchen furniture and kitchen appliances.

The following revised American standard has been published:

ANSI/BIFMA X5.4:2020 – ‘Lounge and public seating’
The scope of the revised version has been expanded to include recliners, patient seating, stools, and restaurant/dining/cafeteria seating.

In Europe, new work items have been approved to revise the following standards:

EN 15372 – ‘Furniture. Strength, durability and safety. Requirements for non-domestic tables’
This standard is being revised to incorporate requirements for height adjustable tables and update the requirements for glass and finger entrapment.

EN 16121 – ‘Non-domestic storage furniture. Requirements for safety, strength, durability and stability’
As furniture is increasingly moving between different end uses, the amendment is primarily looking to incorporate office storage furniture into the scope, which will mean the withdrawal of the current standards EN 14703-2 – ‘Office furniture. Storage furniture. Safety requirements’, EN 14703-3 – ‘Office furniture. Storage furniture. Test methods for the determination of stability and strength of the structure’ and EN 14704 – ‘Office furniture. Tables and desks and storage furniture. Test methods for the determination of strength and durability of moving parts’.

The following revised standard has been published:

EN 1335-1:2020 – ‘Office furniture. Office chairs. Methods for the determination of dimensions’
The revision focuses on the following issues:

• a new test method of measurements based on ISO 24496
• the introduction of new chair type (Type Ax) to cover a wider range of the population than Type A chair
• the introduction of a new Annex A which gives a rationale for chair dimensions.

However, to allow time for manufacturers to adapt to the changes, the date of withdrawal of the previous version (EN 1335-1:2000) has been delayed until early 2021, although implementation of the new standard is widespread across Europe.

The following standards were re-confirmed for a further five years:

BS 5459-2:2000 + A2:2008 – ‘Office seating for use by 150kg users/24 hours a day’
BS 6396:2008 + A1:2015 – ‘Electrical systems in office furniture and educational furniture. Specification’
EN 1023-1:1996 – ‘Office furniture. Screens. Part 1: Dimensions’
EN 1023-2:1996 – ‘Office furniture. Screens. Part 2: Mechanical safety requirements’
EN 1023-3:1996 – ‘Office furniture. Screens. Part 3: Test methods’
EN 14073-3:2004 – ‘Office furniture. Storage furniture. Part 3: Test methods for the determination of stability and strength of the structure’
EN 14074:2004 – ‘Office furniture. Tables and desks and storage furniture. Test methods for the determination of strength and durability of moving parts’

In the UK, preliminary work has stated on a potential revision of BS 6396 – ‘Electrical systems in office furniture and educational furniture. Specification’. The proposal is to incorporate all furniture within the scope of the document, reflecting the widespread use of electrical power and data in all furniture, not just office and educational furniture, as well as updating outdated references.

In Europe, work is underway on EN 1335-1 – ‘Office furniture. Office chairs. Methods for the determination of dimensions’

An amendment is being prepared to correct mistakes in the new standard and also to align with the document with the forthcoming revision of ISO 24496. The document is at formal vote stage, and it is hoped that publication of the standard will be in late 2021.

EN 16139 – ‘Furniture. Strength, durability and safety. Requirements for non-domestic seating’
A work item is being requested to revise this standard to reflect changes in the stability test method standard (EN 1022:2018) and also to consider harmonising the requirements for single column seating and finger entrapment with other standards.

Internationally, a revised version of ISO 24496 – ‘Office furniture. Office chairs. Methods for the determination of dimensions’ is at the formal vote stage and is expected to become a standard by March 2021. The new version corrects errors in the 2017 version.

This is the most significant area of work for the European standards committees as they develop standards that, it is hoped, will be harmonised as meeting the requirements of the Machinery Directive/Regulations, thus allowing CE/UKCA marking. Work is underway in both electrical (CENELEC) and mechanical (CEN) committees.

EN 60333-2-116 – ‘Household and similar electrical appliances. Safety. Particular requirements for furniture with electrically motorized parts’
Work is underway on preparing this international (IEC) document to meet the requirements of the ‘essential health and safety requirements (EHSR)’ of the Machinery Directive. It focuses mainly on the control system requirements.

‘Furniture. Electrically-operated. Mechanical safety requirements’
A new work item has been granted for this project to examine the mechanical risks posed by motorised furniture – focusing on stability, entrapment, strength and durability. The aim is to have the standard published within three years.

‘Furniture. Electrically-operated. Entrapment, shear and compression requirements’
A new pre-work item has been requested for this project, looking at defining the shear and compression hazards and pressures for motorised furniture. It is hoped that this will be produced in the same time frame as the main furniture standard.

The following standards were re-confirmed for a further five years:

EN 1129-1:1995 – ‘Furniture. Foldaway beds. Safety requirements and testing. Part 1: Requirements’
EN 1129-2:1995 – ‘Furniture. Foldaway beds. Safety requirements and testing. Part 2: Test methods’
EN 1334:1996 – ‘Domestic furniture. Beds and mattresses. Methods of measurement and recommended tolerances’

In Europe, work which as yet does not have official approval is in the early stages to revise the following standards:

EN 747-1:2012 + A1:2015 – ‘Furniture. Bunk beds and high beds. Safety, strength and durability requirements’
EN 747-2:2012 + A1:2015 – ‘Furniture. Bunk beds and high beds. Test methods’

The aim of the work is to address ambiguities in the standard, as well as looking to include beds currently on the market but not specifically covered by the standard, such as triple bunks and beds with end access/stairs. It should also be noted that a request was made to decouple this work from a mandate to include the standard as a designated standard under the GPSR.

EN 1725:1998 – ‘Domestic furniture. Beds and mattresses. Safety requirements and test methods’
The aim of the work is to introduce the test methods in the recently-published international standard ISO 19833:2018 – ‘Furniture. Beds. Test methods for the determination of stability, strength and durability’, as well as introducing non-domestic beds into the scope of the document.

EN 1129-1:1995 – ‘Furniture. Foldaway beds. Safety requirements and testing. Part 1: Requirements’
EN 1129-2:1995 – ‘Furniture. Foldaway beds. Safety requirements and testing. Part 2: Test methods’
The aim of the work is to combine the two standards into one, covering domestic and non-domestic use, and updating both the test methods and requirements to reflect beds now on the market, as well as the state of the art in test methods. It is expected that a work item will be requested in 2021. It should be remembered that this is currently a ‘designated’ standard under the GPSR.

Internationally, work is progressing on the following projects:

ISO 9098-1 – ‘Bunk beds for domestic use. Safety requirements and tests. Safety requirements’
ISO 9098-2 – ‘Bunk beds for domestic use. Safety requirements and tests. Test methods’
The aim of this work is to update the standard to include non-domestic use, to reflect beds currently on the market and current test methods. The work is in an early stage, and while it is hoped this will follow EN 747, there are several bunk bed standards in use internationally, including US and Chinese documents.

ISO 23769 – ‘Furniture. Mattresses. Test methods for the determination of functional characteristics’
This new project aims to develop a new standard for mattresses performance test methods, broadly similar to BS EN 1957:2012 – ‘Furniture. Beds and mattresses. Test methods for the determination of functional characteristics and assessment criteria’. The project is an official work item and would expect to become a standard within two years.

This is one area where activity has been low, as no standards have been published and no meetings have been held this year. It is expected that work will recommence in 2021.

The following revised standard has been published:

BS EN 13150:2020 – ‘Workbenches for laboratories in educational institutions. Dimensions, safety requirements and test methods’
The revision focuses on the following issues:

• the scope has been restricted to cover only workbenches in educational institutions
• test methods have been removed, with references made to existing test method standards
• durability tests have been incorporated into the main body of the standard.

In addition, work is underway in Europe on the following projects:

EN 1729-2 – ‘Furniture. Chairs and tables for educational institutions. Safety requirements and test methods’
A request for a work item has been made to update this standard. The main proposed changes are to align the requirements for smaller school seats with the requirements of the soon-to-be published standard EN 17191 – ‘Children’s furniture. Seating for children. Safety requirements and test methods’.

EN 14434 – ‘Writing boards for educational institutions Ergonomic, technical and safety requirements and their test methods’
A new work item has been granted to revise the standard to reflect the changes in products since the previous publication, including multi-media boards and similar items. Publication should take approximately three years.

The following amended standard has been published:

BS EN 14988:2017 + A1:2020 – ‘Children’s high chairs. Requirements and test methods’
The amendment addresses issues with:

• compression points
• the accessibility of filling materials
• the restraint systems
• stability
• product warning labels.

In Europe, work is progressing on the following projects:

EN 16890 – ‘Children’s furniture. Mattresses for cots and cribs. Safety requirements and test methods’
Work is continuing on an amendment to this 2017 standard, which is now listed as a harmonised standard in the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC) as offering manufacturers a presumption of conformity in meeting the requirements of the General Product Safety Directive. It is not clear yet whether the document will be a designated standard under the UK’s GPSR. The amendment looks to correct errors in the original document. While the document is at formal vote stage, it will need to be approved to replace the 2017 version in the OJEC.

EN 17191 – ‘Children’s furniture. Seating for children. Safety requirements and test methods’
This new standard is being produced under a mandate from the European Commission, and so is likely to be listed as a harmonised standard in the Official Journal of the European Community (OJEC) as offering manufacturers a presumption of conformity in meeting the requirements of the General Product Safety Directive. It is not clear whether the document will be a designated standard under the UK’s GPSR as yet. The document covers chemical as well as physical hazards. It has been reviewed by EU health and safety consultants and will go to formal vote in 2021, and will probably be published as a full standard before the end of 2021.

Internationally, work is underway on:

ISO 23767 – ‘Children’s furniture. Mattresses for cots and cribs. Safety requirements and test methods’
The draft of the standard currently follows the format of EN 16890 – ‘Children’s furniture. Mattresses for cots and cribs. Safety requirements and test methods’.

The following standards were re-confirmed for a further five years:

EN 12720:2009 + A1:2013 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of surface resistance to cold liquids’
EN 12721:2009 + A1:2013 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of surface resistance to wet heat’
EN 12722:2009 + A1:2013 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of surface resistance to dry heat’
EN 13722:2004 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of the surface gloss’

In Europe, work is underway on the following projects:

EN 15187 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of the effect of light exposure’
The project has a pre-work item and the standard is being revised.

CEN/TS 16209 – ‘Furniture. Classification for properties of furniture surfaces’
A work item has been requested for the project revising this technical report.

EN 16611 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of the surface resistance to microscratching’
A work item has been requested for the project revising this standard.

EN 13721 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of the surface reflectance’
A work item has been requested for the project revising this standard.

EN 15185 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of the surface resistance to abrasion’
The project has a pre-work item and the standard is being revised.

EN 15186 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of the surface resistance to scratching’
The project has a pre-work item and the standard is being revised.

Internationally, work is underway on the following:

ISO 4211-5 – ‘Furniture. Tests for surface finishes. Assessment of resistance to abrasion’

In Europe, work is underway on:

‘Hardware for furniture. Test and evaluation methods for the corrosion resistance of furniture fittings’
This new standard has a work item and will shortly be sent for first enquiry.

‘Hardware for furniture. Test methods for determination of strength and stiffness of cabinet connectors for carcases/furniture’
A new work item is being requested for this project and, if agreed, the document will be sent for first enquiry.

‘Furniture – Star bases for seating. Requirements and test methods’
A new work item is being requested for this project and, if agreed, the document will be sent for first enquiry.

Internationally, work has started on developing:

ISO 4769 – ‘Hardware for furniture. Strength and durability of hinges and their components. Hinges pivoting on a vertical axis’

The following technical report has been published:

PD CEN/TR 17538:2020 – ‘Furniture. Common test equipment. Test foams and mattresses’
The document contains guidance for standards developers and test laboratories on the selection of test foams.

In Europe, work continues on the following projects:

EN 1022 – ‘Furniture. Seating Determination of stability’
A new work item has been issued for a revision of the standard, with the main focus being a review of the determination of loading points, correction of some errors and an examination of the issues related to single-column seating. This work should take approximately three years.

‘Furniture. Seating. Guidance for increasing user weight’
A new pre-work Item has been granted to produce a technical report to offer guidance to manufacturers and test laboratories on how to increase the test loads and cycles in standards to simulate use by persons weighing over 110kg. Once a draft is produced, it is expected to take a year before the report is published.

In addition, a new task group has been set up to look at furniture sector issues relating to sustainability and the circular economy. The group is initially defining its scope and potential projects. The first initial work is expected to commence in 2021.

Internationally, work is continuing on the following projects:

ISO 7170 – ‘Furniture. Storage units. Test methods for the determination of strength, durability and stability’
The document, which is heavily based on EN 16122 – ‘Domestic and non-domestic storage furniture. Test methods for the determination of strength, durability and stability’, has been through first enquiry, with comments due to be considered in early 2021.

ISO 7173 – ‘Furniture. Chairs and stools. Determination of strength and durability’
The document, heavily based on EN 1728 – ‘Furniture. Seating. Test methods for the determination of strength and durability’, is due for submission to enquiry imminently.

ISO 19682 – ‘Furniture. Tables. Test methods for the determination of stability, strength and durability’
This project is due to be discussed at a meeting scheduled for early 2021.

The following standards have been re-confirmed for a further five years:

BS6807:1986 – ‘Methods of test for the ignitability of mattresses’
EN 1021-1:2014 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of the ignitability of upholstered furniture. Part 1: Ignition source: Smouldering cigarette’
EN 1021-2:2014 – ‘Furniture. Assessment of the ignitability of upholstered furniture. Part 2: Ignition source: Match flame equivalent’

In addition, work continues on the revision of the Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, 1989 & 2010. However, while COVID-19 and the Brexit transition negotiations have delayed work further, the current expected date for the regulations to go before Parliament is the end of 2022.

In January, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) held a series of stakeholder events on the possible way forward, which will be followed by a meeting with an independent fire safety expert advisory group in the Autumn.

The OPPS wants to move away from the current proscriptive format of the regulations (with specific test schedules for different materials) and instead look towards the ‘new approach’ format of regulations. This type of regulation (such as the Machinery Directive and Toy Directive) contains essential safety requirements (ESRs) that define the safe outcome.

This could be something like ‘the item of furniture shall not readily ignite’. It would then be the responsibility of the producer to carry out a risk assessment and detail how the product complied as a whole. It is hoped that, by moving to ESRs that cover the final product rather than components, manufacturers will have more ability to innovate with design, construction and materials, and to maximise fire safety while minimising the use of chemical fire retardants.

It is proposed that, once the ESRs are fully defined, the British Standards Institution (BSI) will produce voluntary standards to assist manufacturers with complying with the regulations.

There is still much more work to be done – for instance, deciding what products are in and out of scope, and also the impact of final product requirements on re-upholsterers, bespoke manufacturers and those offering ‘any sofa any fabric’ business models.