New standards have been developed that relate specifically to electric motion furniture, explains Bruce Lovell, consultant at FIRA International, the service provider to the Furniture Industry Research Association …
The Machinery Directive has been in effect for some time and was incorporated into UK law in December 2009 through Statutory Instrument 2008/1597, known as The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. This legislation implemented the European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and included detailed requirements for new machinery.
At that time, the furniture industry practice was that the Machinery Directive did not apply to electrically operated domestic furniture, probably due to the interpretation of the directive’s exclusion statement, ‘excludes household items for domestic use’, which was interpreted to include domestic furniture products as household appliances.
A revised version of the Machinery Directive was published in July 2017, along with the document ‘Guide to the Application of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC’. The revision and guidance document clarified the relationship between the Machinery Directive and furniture, making clear that electrically operated motorised domestic furniture (such as recliner chairs, electrically adjustable beds, and height-adjustable work surfaces) fell within the directive’s scope.
Taken from the guidance, the term ‘household appliances’ designates equipment intended for housekeeping functions such as washing, cleaning, heating, cooling and cooking. Household appliances include washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, food preparation and cooking machinery, and items for domestic personal care, such as hair dryers and shavers. Electrically operated furniture is therefore subject to the Machinery Directive, as they are not household appliances of the types indicated above.
Following clarification of this relationship, standards working groups CEN/TC207 Furniture and IEC/CENLEC TC61 collaborated to develop new furniture standards aligned with the essential health and safety requirements of the Machinery Directive – and these new standards will provide a ‘presumption of conformity’ with the regulation under which it is designated (The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008).
The first of these new designated standards will be: BS EN 17684:202x Furniture. Electrically operated furniture. Stability, strength, durability, and mechanical safety requirements.
In November 2020, project group CEN TC 207 began working on developing a standard to cover stability, strength, durability, and mechanical safety requirements for electrically operated furniture such as desks, chairs, beds, and kitchen units. The aim of this project group was to create a new standard that aligns with the essential health and safety requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. In September 2024, FIRA’s Levent Caglar, the project leader and convenor of CEN TC 207, submitted the standard for final voting.
Most designers are familiar with the mechanical side of furniture testing that the above standard addresses, but with electromechanical products, they also need to be aware of the electrical testing associated with this type of furniture. The IEC (International Electrotechnical Committee) and CENLEC have developed another standard to cover the electrical testing of these products: EN 60335-2-116:202x - Household and similar appliances - Safety - Part 2-116: Particular requirements for furniture with electrically motorised parts.
This Part 2 standard is used in conjunction with BS EN 60335-1 (Part 1) for furniture within its scope. This standard addresses the potential hazards posed by furniture that includes electrically motorised parts encountered by all individuals. It’s important to note that this standard does not cover mechanical tests on furniture components unless they encapsulate electrically motorised parts.
It is hoped that the two new standards will be published simultaneously (expected towards the end of 2024) as agreed by the standardisation bodies CEN and CENLEC. Their publication is crucial for driving positive change, promoting safety, and ensuring consumer trust.
Following their release, the Furniture Industry Research Association will be publishing three new product-specific guides to support members in understanding the requirements: Guide to the GB Regulations for Electrically Operated Recliners; Guide to the GB Regulations for Electrically Operated Adjustable Beds; and Guide to the GB Regulations for Electrically Operated Height Adjustable Worksurfaces.
To provide further support, Product Risk Assessment examples and templates, which are a requirement of the Supply of Machinery Regulations, will also be available.
