Can office chairs explode?
Precisely yes. This question is circulating online because of the instances of office chair accidents that left people bewildered by what they just experienced. This would especially send shivers down the spine of someone who owns their own office or gaming chair.
The association of explosion has always been with the pressurized gas cylinder used to adjust the chair’s height, and it is essential to be aware of how that part works.
History of office chair explosions
The earliest known incident caused death by a desk chair, of a 14-year old boy in the Shandong province in China. Imagine a scene from a Hollywood movie where they show a violently graphic death scene by an explosion. This was seen live when the chair exploded, sending chunks of metal flying into his lower body as he bled to death.
Another such incident in 2013 resulted in a severely injured woman as the exploding gas chair pierced her intestine and vagina with a steel rod, screws, and various plastic fragments. Her brother recalled her blow-drying hair when it happened. The doctors managed to save her life by removing the foreign particles.
If you think your Monday is bad, read this out. Back in 2008, a 150mm steel rod ejecting out of an exploding gas chair pierced a 65-year old man’s lower back and arm. The ejection force was so strong that the rod went through the man’s skin, right to the ceiling. He was stitched up to be saved. We bet you would rethink about calling your Mondays bad ever again.
While the atrocity of these events is enough to send you flying off your office or gaming chair, and perhaps, throwing it out of the window already, read on to be aware of how to choose an office chair. This very knowledge is what would ensure you are comfortable and safe in these chairs simultaneously.
How Can an Office Chair Explode?
Let’s dive into the real talk.
All the above-recalled events were associated with the chair exploding due to a faulty gas cylinder that generated enough energy to trigger an explosion. Hence, the more giant and pressurized the canisters attached to a chair, the more the user would suffer hazardous and even fatal damage.
There are three variants of air-pressurized office chairs available in the market: hydraulic pressured, gas pressured, and mechanical. All incidents of being killed by an office chair were associated with gas pressured chairs. Now have your worst fear realized as we unleash upon you that most modern chairs used commonly are gas pressured.
The mechanism is such that; when an office chair’s cylinder is used to adjust the seat’s height and posture, gas in the canisters is compressed. This compression generates enough energy to cause a powerful explosion if and only if there occurs an office chair’s piston failure.
Some manufacturers, mainly that of non-reputable wholesale markets, may resort to mischief to lower the overall manufacturing costs. This means that they would fill the cylinders with already compressed air, increasing the chances of explosion by a thousandfold. But, since such makers are luckily fewer, this explains the rarity of such incidences.
A guide to preventing office chair explosions
If you belong anywhere in the U.S., Canada, Australia, or Europe, you needn’t worry about these explosions happening in the first place. This is because the manufacturers there follow strict guidelines. Their manufacturing is also adequately screened to ensure the maintenance of safety standards.
However, the risk of such incidents is never nonexistent. You might end up assembling the chair wrong, making way for it to explode later. Your lack of knowledge on choosing an office chair or buying cheap to lower the cost point, for instance, when ordering in bulk for office; are some other factors that can lead to regular office days, turning fatal.
Save yourself, your workers, and any office or gaming chair user by following the steps below and making even the rare incidences drop to an absolute zero.
Invest well in your office or gaming chair
Office or gaming chairs are something you do not frequently change; hence, spend a generous amount of money for them but wisely. Always buy from esteemed manufacturers with a fair market reputation as they are most likely to follow all safety standards to the best. Usually, they would also provide a good warranty, leading to your chair’s replacement and correction build-up if safety is compromised.
Replace office chair gas cylinder if it’s not working
Ensure to monitor the functioning of the office chair gas cylinder. It’s imperative to replace it as soon as you find it faulty. As soon as you notice a significant malfunction, get it replaced immediately. Not only is this a pivotal precaution to prevent office chair explosions, but it would also make your chair last longer safely.
Avoid malpractice and mishandling your office chair
If you are fond of revolving on office chairs or the boredom of office and adulthood sometimes compels you to perform stunts with your office chair, this is your warning sign of stopping. Use your office chairs only for sitting and relaxing. Avoid adjusting its height and posture too often, too, as that triggers the office chair gas cylinder for worst.
How to choose an office chair?
Finally comes the section, which is perhaps the epitome of interest in this article. Following are some things you should keep a lookout for to choose the perfect office chair.
Know this first that out of the billions of office chairs used worldwide, only 3 cases have been reported so far, so it is safe to assume that the chances are rare. To remove the reigning uncertainty, firstly, always check for customer reviews before buying from a specific store or vendor. You can also opt for a high-quality ergonomic chair built to provide additional safety and support to your back.
Set a reasonable budget to buy the chair. When selecting, check the material and analyze it for its durability, resistance, and robustness. Sit on a sample chair to test your comfortability and armrest. Once you bring the new product home, follow the instructions to the core while assembling the chair and cross-check for any errors.
For authentic options, check out the following article: Best computer chair for long hours.
Flash Furniture Ergonomic Office Chair, Aeron Chair, and Serta Ergonomic Executive Office Chair have been some of the reviewer’s top picks for the best and most comfortable office chairs available in the market.
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Conclusion
Now that you have chosen and assembled the chair correctly, enjoy your office work without worrying too much about it exploding. This article was to make people aware of a possibility resulting from something of day-to-day usage.
As long as you follow our guide above on how to prevent office chair explosion and get selective with your pick, you have got nothing to be scared of. Choose and assemble right, and you are good to go always. Hope this article brings you the peace of mind that it was intended for and has convinced you that your office and gaming chairs are absolutely safe.
