The safety aspect of any product is always at the forefront of our minds when designing and developing a product. The product cannot have the potential to compromise the safety of our end-user. Examples of this may include finger traps, where the flexibility of a frame may create a pinch point against another component or the product toppling over and causing someone to fall. The product goes through a rigorous safety check by an external professional test centre to ensure this doesn’t happen. They apply force to various areas of the chair to ensure there is no tipping or fatigue to the base, which could cause it to fail. They also review the product from head to toe to remove any doubt that it is unfit for use.

One of the other major checks, which coincides with safety, is the strength and durability of the product. Often our products are placed in public areas with a high footfall. Imagine an airport lounge with hundreds of people using the product every day. The primary test the product undertakes here would be the durability test. The chair’s base is fixed to the floor, and a set force is applied to various areas of the chair, moving in natural ways for hundreds of thousands of cycles. Of course, this force is far more than the product would experience, but this ensures a highly durable product and reassurance that the product is built to last.

The best feeling in the world is receiving an email from the test centre with a certificate stating your product has passed, and you can throw away the drawing board… Well, at least until the next project.