GCSE help

[ben111]

hey guys,
so for my resistant materials gcse course im making a coffee table in a gothic/rustic style. However, for my specification i need to say what requirements it needs to meet. One of these is for it to comply with BSI health and safety but i have no idea what this entails as i can't find the standards anywhere. Their website just confused me as their are thousands of standards and they are only available through purchase. Which standard should i use for a coffee table and can you tell me what it involves?
thanks
ben

 

[ike]

Hello Ben,

One thing that springs to mind straight away, is a requirement for using safety (toughened) glass in furniture. All safety glass has to be identified, usually by acid etching a small, discrete logo somewhere on it. (If you intend to use glass, go and pick the brains of a local glass supplier who'll happily tell you what standards they have to comply to).

Another safety point would be polishing the edge of glass sheet. Although highly desirable for it's aesthetic appearance, obviously it removes the razor edges of cut glass.

There would also be BSI safety requirement for the use of textiles, foam etc which have to meet standards for fire retardency.

Also, think about the potential toxicity of the wood finish you might use, if for example a young child chews it (believe me, it happens!).

Athough possibly not covered by BSI Standards for Health and Safety, you should assess safety implications of shape,design and construction of your table, e.g. hard edges, sharp edges, protuding parts, parts where fingers can get stuck, or heads can get stuck!.


I hope this helps to get you started. Finally, don't be afraid to just phone and/or write to furniture companies for information on this topic - there's plenty of professional outfits out there to ensure some feedback. My son did what you are doing 2 years ago- the Yellow pages came in very useful.

cheers,

Ike

 

[Offcut]

"Furniture can take many shapes or forms. For most people design is as important as sturdiness. A sofa or a chair should not just be comfortable, it also should look good.

Standards for furniture are voluntary with the exception of fire. This means that every manufactured product has to undergo tests for ignitability.

Other Standards for furniture include fading or dry cleaning of coverings or proper care labelling.

The resources below can be used for Manufacture and Design and Technology for GCSE and A Level."

Have a wee look here - it may help
http://www.bsieducation.org/Education/1 ... ault.shtml

Andy

 

[Offcut]

And another page that might help

http://www.cfg.gov.uk/products/cfg_furn ... dards.html

Mentions FIRA - Firniture Industries Research Association.

Might be an avenue you want to check.

Andy

 

[special bone]

Try approaching it from this point of view:

Imagine you go into a shop to buy a coffee table. You want to make the shop steward go insane so you ask every stupid question possible, like "could the table hold the weight of a small child? What if the child starts jumping up and down?" :roll:

90% of what you come up with will be useless speculation but it shows you've thought about it and that's what they look for. Everybody will have the usual toxicity and flammability info but the project with "can of beer dropped from 12 inches (sorry, 30.5 cm)" info stands out.

I made a gun case for my GCSE Design and Realisation project. That was 10 years ago and I still use it today.

Good luck, I hope it works out well.

 

[ben111]

cheers for the help guys. do the standards for fire only extend to foam, textiles etc used in furniture? Does it exclude wood? And does varnish repel ignition??
thanks
ben

 

[ben111]

anyone??

 

[Scrit]

Cheers for the help guys. Do the standards for fire only extend to foam, textiles etc used in furniture? Does it exclude wood?

Yes - the relevant standards are specifically for upholstery and beds. The only areas I know of where finishes have to be fire proof or intumescent are in fire certified premises such as clubs and restaurants, and even there I believ that it only applies to door, frames and casings and is as much an insurance requirement as anything else.

And does varnish repel ignition??

No. Varnish is quite flamable, more than wood. Most modern furniture manufacturers use either pre-catalysed lacquer or a 2-pack acid catalysed lacquer with melamine incorporated to give extra scuff resistance and this has a higher ingnition point. Wax finishing is used on certain light woods such as pine, but varnish is really a throwback to an earlier age and the time and effort required to finish with it make it economically unviable for production environmenrs.

Scrit