Criterias for March 2012

Transcription

1 Criterias for March 2012 Ecological criteria for the procurement of office chairs and office work chairs

2 Ecological criteria for the procurement of office chairs and office work chairs (19001/ ) 1. Introduction Important objectives regarding implementation of environmental protection in the facilities of the Vienna City Administration include reduction of resource consumption (e.g. energy), prevention of substances harmful to the environment, prevention and reduction of waste, the ecologically appropriate treatment of unavoidable waste, as well as reduction of noise and hazardous substances. This criteria list shall promote the procurement of such office chairs and office work chairs which make ideal recycling of the products possible after use due to their limited variety of materials and their construction. By the use of materials which are based on renewable or secondary raw materials, a sustainable and cycle-oriented economy shall be promoted. Information for procurers Office chair definition in compliance with Austrian Standard A Office chair with backrest, optional upholstery, with or without armrests Office working chair definition according to Austrian Standard EN A seat for one person with backrest, with or without armrests 2

3 2. Minimum requirements of the provisions in the specification The specification needs to contain at least the following minimum requirements: Metals, plastic materials, wood and composite wood, coverings, upholstery and coating materials are approved for the production of the main components of the system. The main components of the system are the following: Base (frame, five-legged base, telescope) Seat (seat pan, seat plate, upholstery) Backrest (mounting, pan, insertion plate, upholstery) Armrest (mounting, clamp, cover) Mechanical system A minimum of 50% by weight of all non-metal parts shall be made of renewable raw materials or recycling material. All materials which are less than 50 grams of the entire product are not subject to any further regulations. Metals may be made of iron, steel, aluminium and aluminium alloys. When aluminium is used, at least 30 % by weight shall be secondary aluminium, the aim is 50 % by weight of recycling material. Surface finishing For iron and steel the following processes are approved: Polishing Powder coating Electroplating For aluminium and aluminium alloys the following processes are approved: Polishing Powder coating with aluminium mechanical parts Wood and wood components Surfaces shall be coated in such a way that at least 50% of the solid content of the overspray can be recovered. 3

4 Plastic material The following plastic materials are approved: Polypropylene (PP) Polyethylene (PE) Polyamides (PA) Polyurethane foam parts (exclusion of PFC, CFC or H-CFC as propellant) Polyurethane rigid foam parts (exclusion of CFC or H-CFC as propellant) The use of rigid foam parts in seats and backrests is only permissible if this is the only way to avoid bonding of the upholstery and covering. Max. 4 kg of plastic material (incl. covering) shall be used per chair. The share of plastic material, however, shall be max. 50 % by weight of the product. If plastic material is used which has a certain share of recycling material, only the primary share shall be included into calculating the overall mass. Plastic material with a mass fraction of > 50 g shall be labelled according to Austrian Standard EN ISO in conjunction with Austrian Standard EN ISO Constructive requirements The products shall only contain woods from sustainable forest management, which is specified by a management plan defining long-term goals and the means for reaching them. Optional proof: Verifiably originating in countries in which sustainable forest management is enshrined into law. Verifiably made of scrap wood, woods from the industry such as sawmill residues, splinters, slabs and cross cuts or recovered paper. FSC or PEFC-CoC certificate The covering shall not be dyed with dyestuff based on the heavy metals Cadmium, Chromium 6+, mercury, lead or compounds thereof. Azo dyes which can cleave amines and which are listed in the ordinance governing limits of carcinogenic substances, Federal Law Gazette II No 253/2001, annex III, items A, B or C shall not be used. The use of halogenated flame retardants, chrome-tanned leather and halogenated synthetic coverings are prohibited. Padding material made of renewable raw materials shall preferably be used for upholstery. For all coatings, excluding electro-plated coatings, the following requirement shall apply: No use of covering fabrics which have added heavy metals such as Cadmium, Chromium 6+, mercury, lead or compounds thereof. 4

5 The share of organic solvents shall amount to max. 10 % by weight of the coating fabric. The individual materials shall be combined in such a way that they can easily be sorted according to type. Adhesive bonds of wood and composite wood are permissible, the use of composite material is strictly prohibited. Bonding of different materials is only permitted if it is necessary for the ergonomic design of the backrest. The construction shall be modular, in order to be able to replace single parts of the system without much effort, especially wear parts. Verification is done by sampling. Safety requirements and suitability of use Office work chairs shall meet the safety requirements of Austrian Standard EN according to the test requirements of Austrian Standard EN Office chairs shall meet the requirements of Austrian Standard A 1610 part 5 regarding materials and their design, stability, deformation and durability. Verification shall be performed pursuant to Austrian Standard A 1605 part 5. If a gas lift is used for adjusting the height, it shall meet the mandatory safety requirements. Textile coverings shall endure at least 30,000 rubs without destruction of the sample (formation of holes) by the Martindale abrasion test according to Austrian Standard EN ISO Ergonomic requirements of office work chairs All requirements of the Austrian Standard EN ISO shall be met. Seats and backrests (except swivel chairs for laboratories, workshops, and the like) shall be padded. The casters suitable for the respective floors shall be easily and quickly replaceable. The braking behaviour shall meet the necessary safety requirements pursuant to the appropriate standards. Every time the user sits down, impacts shall be cushioned, at every height setting and especially in the lowest seating position. Adjustability All seat adjustment controls shall be self-explaining and easy and convenient to use from a sitting position; only exemption is the operating control for recoil strength of the backrest. 5

6 The right sitting position shall easily be attained. There shall be adjustment controls close to the backrest, which ensure good support of persons of different sizes in the breast and lumbar region. This can be done by height adjustment of the backrest or by adjusting the lumbar support. Armrests If the chair does not have armrests, it shall be possible to upgrade the chair. Material properties There shall be sufficient air and water vapour permeability of the upholstery and coverings for avoiding accumulation of heat and moisture close to the body. An ergonomically adequate combination of covering, shape of upholstery and seat inclination should make an anti-slip sitting position possible and full usage of the seat should be feasible. Information on correct sitting With every office work chair an information sheet on correct sitting shall be provided. Dynamic sitting principle Dynamic sitting shall be promoted by adequate chair designs. A backrest which follows the movement of the upper body by spring pressure and guarantees proper support of the lumbar region is decisive for the realisation of the dynamic sitting principle. Therefore it is necessary to be able to adjust the supporting point of the backrest (lumbar support) in height to the size of the respective persons. It shall also be possible to adjust the spring force of the tilt mechanism to the person s weight. 6

7 Repairability Suppliers shall prove that the producers guarantee repair and supply of spare parts for a minimum of 10 years. Disposal of chairs The contractor shall commit him/herself to take the product back for at least 10 years after purchase. Declaration Despite the required details regarding producer and instructions according to the relevant standards, there shall be a permanent label with contact details for service and return of the product. Data sheets Prevailing data sheets for minimum requirements shall be provided. Minimum requirements not specified in the data sheets are to be produced in the appropriate form upon special request of the ordering party. 3. Packaging Halogenated polymers are in principle undesirable in packaging. Packaging material shall be removed entirely from the installation or delivery location free of charge. 7