The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has issued the new technical regulation for monobloc chairs and stools, underscoring the importance of quality for the safety of users as it is commonly used in offices and public multipurpose halls.
DTI has issued Department Administrative Order (DAO) 22-09, series of 2022 providing the new technical regulation concerning the mandatory product certification of monobloc chairs and stools.
“Monobloc chairs and stools have long been included in the DTI-BPS’s [Bureau of Philippine Standards] list of products under mandatory certification. Since they are household staples and are commonly used in offices and public multipurpose halls, it is very important to ensure their quality for the safety of the users,” DTI-Consumer Protection Group (CPG) Undersecretary Ruth B. Castelo said in a news statement released by DTI on Tuesday.
Castelo emphasized that the updated product standards include specified requirements for monobloc chairs and stools meant for outdoor use.
“With DAO 22-09, we have updated the reference product standards and specified the requirements and tests for monobloc chairs and stools intended for outdoor use. This includes weatherability test wherein the product is exposed to laboratory conditions that accelerate the effect of natural weathering, thus ensuring their suitability outdoors,” she added.
The trade department said DAO 22-09 aims to “strictly ensure” that monobloc chairs and stools for indoor and/or outdoor use that will be imported, manufactured, distributed, or sold in the Philippines meet the specified quality requirements as stated by the technical regulation.
The agency added that the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality Certification Mark Licensing Scheme shall be available to both local and foreign manufacturers selling and/or distributing monobloc chairs and stools in the Philippine market.
Meanwhile, for imported monobloc chairs and stools, DTI said the importer shall apply for either Statement of Confirmation (SOC) for PS-certified products or Import Commodity Clearance (ICC) for non-PS certified products on a per shipment per Bill of Lading or Airway Bill basis.
The BPS Testing Laboratory or BPS-recognized testing laboratories, DTI said, shall conduct the product testing to determine the strength, durability, and stability of monobloc chairs and stools.
The agency said the tests are designed to be applied to fully assembled and ready-for-use chairs and stools. Moreover, it said, the loads or forces and dimensions in the tests are applicable to chairs and stools intended for adult persons.
As for indoor use, DTI said, the following tests shall be conducted: seat static load, back static load with balancing load, arm sideways static load, wing sideways static load, seat fatigue test, back fatigue test combined with balancing load, diagonal base load, seat impact test, arm impact test, and drop test.
Meanwhile, for outdoor use, the following tests shall be conducted: periodic weatherability test (tensile test), static load, impact test, rear-leg test, and stability test.
For his part, Engr. Victor G. Revilleza, chairman of the BPS/Technical Committee (TC) 41 and Supervising Science Research Specialist from the Department of Science and Technology—Forest Products Research and Development Institute said the TC has developed two separate standards for indoor and outdoor monobloc chairs and stools to prevent misuse of users with regard to the said products.
The engineer also noted that since DAO 22-09 identified two types of monobloc chairs and stools, for indoor and outdoor use that will be sold in the market, “manufacturers can focus on the type of monobloc chairs and stools they want to produce that are of quality, suitable for their intended purpose, and provide utmost safety to the consumers.”
The DTI-BPS is the National Standards Body authorized to promulgate Philippine National Standards (PNS). The trade department said in its statement on Tuesday that conformance to PNS requirements is voluntary unless a regulatory authority uses the PNS as reference in the technical regulation for a specified product or service where conformance to PNS or parts of it becomes mandatory.