EN 527-2 Office Furniture - Desks - Part 2: Requirements for Safety, Strength and Durability

The European standard “EN 527-2 Office furniture - Desks - Part 2: Requirements for safety, strength and durability” describes the safety, strength and durability requirements on desks. Also in the annex of this standard, a test method for bending of desk tops is described (Annex A). Annex B also contains an example of calculating the rigidity of the structure.

However, the requirements of the EN 527-2 standard do not apply to other desks in the office area where the standard “EN 15372 Furniture - Strength, durability and safety - Requirements for non-domestic desks” exists.

For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply:

• Accessible part refers to the part that is easily accessible to the user when the desk is in its intended use configuration and to which the user is most likely to come into unintentional contact.
• Accessible part during setup and fold refers to the part that is only accessible when the table is being set up and folded.
• The shear and pinch point refers to the gap that occurs when two accessible parts move relative to each other, which can injure fingers.
• Tipping refers to the phenomenon in which a table spins to a point where it continues to fall.

In the EN 527-2 standard, safety requirements are defined as follows:

• The table should be designed to minimise the risk of injury to the user.
• All parts of the table that the user comes into contact with during intended use must be designed to avoid physical injury and damage. These requirements are met if:
  • All accessible edges and corners must be free of burrs and rounded or chamfered
  • The edges and corners of the top surfaces must be beveled to at least 1 mm x 1 mm or rounded to a radius of at least 2 mm.
  • The ends of legs and tubular components must be closed or capped.
• Movable and adjustable parts must be designed to prevent injuries and accidental activation.
• It should not be possible for any load-bearing part of the table to become loose unintentionally.
• All parts lubricated to facilitate sliding should be designed to protect users from oil stains during normal use.

In this standard, the shear and compression points requirements are defined as follows:

• Cutting and pinching points during assembly and folding: Unless the conditions described below apply, only cutting and pinching points created during assembly and folding are acceptable, as it can be assumed that the user has control of their movements and can stop applying force immediately if they feel pain. The edges of the parts that move relative to each other and create cutting and pinching points must be as described above.
• Cutting and compression points under the action of motorized mechanisms: There should be no cutting and compression points closing less than 7 mm, unless always less than 25 mm is created by table parts operated by motorized mechanisms such as springs, gas lifts and motorized systems.
• Cutting and pinching points during use: There should be no cutting or pinching points closing less than 7 mm, unless less than 25 mm is always created by the forces applied during normal use.

Stability requirements according to this standard: The table must not tip over when tested according to tests numbered 10 and 11 in the table given in the standard.

Structural safety requirements according to this standard: Structural safety requirements are met when the above requirements are met.

For strength and durability, the tests are performed in the order listed in the tables provided in the standard. Test 9 Workbenches supplied with storage features, except for the drop test, are tested with the following loads in the storage feature:

• Extension elements: 0,5 kg/dm3
• Hanging pocket files: 4 kg/dm

When this standard was first published, mechanical safety requirements were the main focus, while in the latest update of the standard, safety, strength and durability came to the fore.

Among the numerous tests, measurements, analyses and evaluation studies carried out for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides testing services defined in the standard “EN 527-2 Office furniture - Work desks - Part 2: Requirements for safety, strength and durability” with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.