School Furniture: Regulations and Standards, What Do You Need to Know?

To equip a nursery school, primary school, middle school, or high school, it is essential to choose furniture that is suitable for both children and supervising adults and is compliant with:

• The current regulations (European and French);
• The current safety standards;

It can also be interesting to request compliance with performance standards, which will ensure the durability of the furniture over time.

This article provides an explanation of the various texts and a summary of important information to know on this subject.

What is regulation?

A regulatory text is an official document established by the authorities, setting rules and requirements, generally with the aim of preserving the health and safety of users, and even protecting the environment.

At the European level:

Let's take the example of a European text such as REACH. This text is a regulation (No. 1907/2006) that came into effect in 2007 to secure the manufacturing and use of chemical substances in the European industry. It involves identifying, evaluating, and controlling chemical substances manufactured, imported, or contained in products (such as furniture). Since it is a regulation, it applies the same way in all countries. There are also directives that are transcriptions of European texts into the countries. For the same text, there can be differences between countries.

At the French level:

There are laws, ordinances, codes, decrees, and orders.

For example, for furniture, there is a decree on furniture intended for the sleeping of young children (a decree on childcare articles) and also regulations related to buildings that receive the public, which can also require compliance with furniture elements (for fire, for example).

Advice: the regulatory part of the specifications should contain a summary of European requirements related to products, French requirements, and requirements related to places and users.

REMEMBER!

Everything related to regulation is not negotiable; the market leader must comply with all of these requirements.

What is a standard?

REMEMBER!

It is a document established by consensus and approved by a recognized organization that provides, for common and repeated uses, rules, guidelines, or characteristics for activities or their results, ensuring an optimal level in a given context.

This technical text concerns products or processes established by agreement between manufacturers, users (industrial or consumers), public authorities, and scientific personalities.

There are national, European, and international standards.

There are also safety and performance standards.

Contrary to popular belief, standards are generally voluntary.

However, in practice, so-called safety standards are reference elements in case of problems, which is why they should generally be referenced in the specifications.

As an example, let's mention the NF EN 1729-2 standard - Furniture - Chairs and tables for educational institutions - Part 2: safety requirements and test methods.

Label and Certification

There is often confusion between these two concepts as well. In both cases, there are sets of requirements to meet.

Label

There is a label and a label. Indeed, sometimes the one who originates the label is also the one who controls it. There is a bias because the one who issues it is "interested" in having a large number of labeled products. However, some labels are quite independent. Advice: When talking about a label, it is necessary to check if a stakeholder who issues the label is interested in the number of labelings. Let's mention two labels related to schools:

Eco-school label

Digital school label

Labels can sometimes apply to the product, the furniture, or the location.

Certification

REMEMBER!

Sometimes there is also confusion between the NF mark and the NF standard. The NF standard refers to a specific text, while the NF mark (like NF Professional Education Furniture, for example) calls for compliance with at least thirty different standards, including not only French but also European standards!

Certification is regulated by law. The various stakeholders must jointly write the requirements of the specifications, called the certification reference.

Certification is a voluntary process on the part of the manufacturer. If we take the example of NF Mobilier Professional Education , the reference is written by manufacturers, product distributors, NGOs so that all stakeholders are represented, and it is awarded by an independent third party. In this case, it is the FCBA technological institute, which neither manufactures nor distributes the products.

How is it awarded?

It is awarded when the manufacturer's commitment is quantifiable and measurable. Its reference can, therefore, help in writing calls for tenders.

What does it certify?

Manufacturers who have obtained the NF Professional Education Furniture mark have taken into account the following criteria:

• Compliance with the regulations and standards in force through tests carried out on sample products
• Safety
• Strength of the furniture
• Durability
• Hygiene
• Ergonomics (e.g., the size of tables and chairs)
• The company's ability to manufacture products of a consistently high quality level, equivalent to products tested and validated during various technical audits.

In summary, the NF Mobilier Professional Education mark attests that the certified furniture complies with current regulations as well as French and European standards.

Another example of a mark: NF Environment Furniture

This is also a voluntary certification that incorporates both technical product compliance criteria and environmental requirements concerning product design and production. Unlike NF Professional Education Furniture, NF Environment Furniture is mentioned in public procurement codes.

This certification is particularly protective because it is based on five requirements:

• Quality
• Durability
• Health
• Safety
• Environment

These are criteria that cover the entire lifecycle of furniture, as each stage in the life of a piece of furniture can have an impact on the environment: raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, but also the use of the furniture and its recycling.

It is awarded and monitored in the same way as NF Mobilier Professional Education. 

And the CE marking?

The CE marking, which is increasingly being implemented in the field of equipment and products, has no role in contractual specifications.

It cannot be confused with a quality mark. The purpose of the CE marking is to meet regulatory requirements and ensure the free circulation of the relevant products in the European economic area for electrical products.

Furniture without electrical components should not bear the CE marking. It's even a sign that should raise concerns, as a serious manufacturer wouldn't use the CE marking if it doesn't apply to the product type. Currently, there are still debates about whether electrical furniture should bear the CE marking. The minimum requirement is that the electrical part of the furniture should be CE compliant.

For more information, feel free to contact us!