A church is responsible for providing all its congregants with a healthy and safe environment. Thus, one way your church can provide this environment is by using church chairs that meet health and safety standards.
So, what are those health and safety standards of church seating chairs? Read on to learn more.
Importance of Health and Safety Standards for Church Chairs
One example of chairs that meet the health and safety requirements is ComforTek Church Chairs. ComforTek produces chairs with congregants in mind. They mainly focus on a comfortable and sturdy church chair style. These comfortable and sturdy chairs protect the safety of churchgoers.
So, why is it essential for your church chairs to meet the health and safety standards?
To ensure user safety
Congregants of all kinds, including the elderly and individuals with disabilities, go to church. Thus, the design of church seats must facilitate minimal risks of injuries and accidents to the congregants.
To ensure fire safety
Fire safety standards are essential in your church space. Thus, chairs that meet fire safety standards are less likely to promote the rapid spread of flames in the event of a fire. These fire-resistant chairs give the churchgoers enough time to evacuate the building safely.
To maintain structural integrity
Church seating chairs need to be structurally durable and sound, such as those produced by ComforTek. This is because durable and sound chairs can withstand regular use without the risk of breaking or collapsing.
To prevent health issues
You should note that a church seat can lead to health issues among your congregants. Thus, your goal should be to ensure that every church chair meets health standards. These chairs should pay attention to ergonomics. Ergonomics helps to prevent a wide range of health issues, such as:
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Hip pressure
- Blood circulation issues
To ensure legal compliance
Health and safety standards of buildings, such as churches, are set by relevant authorities. Thus, adhering to these health and safety standards of church seating chairs ensures that your church is legally compliant.
Common Health and Safety Standards for Church Chairs
The church seating chairs that you use in your church should follow all health and safety standards. So, what are these standards that you need to follow? Below are the common ones:
- BIFMA X5.1: This standard was developed to set criteria for the performance and safety of office chairs and is also used as a benchmark for other seating furniture, like the church chair.
- CAL 117: CAL 117 is a fire safety standard set by the State of California. This standard ensures the resistance of upholstered furniture to ignition by open flames and smoldering cigarettes. It ensures that your church’s seats have a certain level of fire resistance.
- CA TB 133: CA TB 133 is a flammability test that applies to upholstered furniture intended for use in public spaces, such as churches. Compliance with this flammability test shows that your church seats will meet fire safety requirements.
- Accessible Design Standard: This standard ensures that public spaces, including churches, are accessible to all individuals. Thus, compliance with this standard ensures that your church arranges its chairs in a way that accommodates individuals with disabilities.
Choosing Safe and Comfortable Church Chairs
The сhurсh seаting сhаirs you сhoose for your сongregаnts should be sаfe аnԁ сomfortаble. Thus, some of the things that you should сonsiԁer when buying your сhаirs should include the following:
Material quality
Chаir mаteriаls рlаy аn essentiаl role in the sаfety аnԁ сomfort levels of your seаts. Thus, ensure that you seleсt high-quаlity mаteriаls. High-quаlity mаteriаls саn guаrаntee сhаir longevity аnԁ ԁurаbility. Also, they саn ensure that your сhаirs аre eаsy to сleаn, which is essential for hygiene.
Ergonomic design
As stаteԁ аbove, сhurсhgoers сomрrise аll tyрes of inԁiviԁuаls, inсluԁing olԁer аԁults. Thus, you must ensure that your сhurсh seаts hаve аn ergonomiс ԁesign. This ergonomiс ԁesign саn be in the form of seаt сushions аnԁ аn uрholstereԁ bасkrest.
Structural integrity
The church chair you buy for your congregants must have exceptional structural integrity. They should be made from sturdy materials, which guarantee safety and stability.
Compliance with International Standards
In most cases, churchgoers comprise local and international church attendees. Thus, the chairs you buy for your church must comply with international standards. One international standard that you should comply with is the ISO 7173.
ISO 7173 is an international standard that specifies economic and testing requirements for chairs. It ensures that church seating chairs follow all ergonomic, supportive, and comfortable seating principles.
Conclusion
The church seating chairs that you consider for your church should meet all the health and safety standard requirements. It means that as you buy your chairs, look into the type of chair materials, structural integrity, and ergonomic design used in the chairs.
Do your church seating chairs adhere to the ergonomic chair requirement? What is the experience of the congregants with these chairs?
