Do You Know the ANSI/BIFMA Standards?

7 min readJun 15, 2018

Growing up, I remember my great-grandma telling me about the first time she saw a car driving through rural central Wisconsin in the early 1900s. She described how loud it sounded, the smell of the exhaust, the speed it traveled, and the thrill she experienced on seeing something new.

Life was like that in the early 20th Century in the United States. Advancements in technology, science, and manufacturing were met with a public excited to use all those new things.

US Workplace Safety in the Early 20th Century

The cosmic scales balanced the thrill of advancement with the tragedy of accidental deaths in the labor force that made all those new things.

For example, working conditions in US factories weren’t ideal in any real sense:

Factories were not the best places to work. The only light present was the sunlight that came through the windows. Machines spit out smoke and in some factories, workers came out covered in black soot by the end of the day. There were a plethora of machines with not many safety precautions. This resulted in many accidents. The workers only received a break for lunch and a break for dinner.

If you worked in the early part of last century, you had four guarantees:

Low wages
Long working days/weeks
No regulations
No insurance

If you were injured or killed on the job, the only recourse your family had available to them was to sue the employer. Unfortunately, companies back then weren’t afraid of any lawsuits when one of their employees was injured or killed because the courts typically ruled in favor of the company.

Workplace Conditions Started Improving

Slowly, things changed. The state of New York passed the first worker’s compensation law in 1910, and soon other states followed suit. The compensation laws benefited workers, yet those laws appealed to companies, too. Instead of random legal battles and their related costs, compensation laws made costs more predictable and reduced labor conflicts.

As the United States approached the 1910s, safety started becoming more than just an interest for companies. The National Safety Council was created in 1913 so companies could pool information. Companies became liable for workplace accidents more often than before, and the rising compensation costs started the search for solutions.

Companies began to guard machines and power sources while machinery makers developed safer designs. Managers began to look for hidden dangers at work and to require that workers wear hard hats and safety glasses. They also set up safety departments run by engineers and safety committees that included both workers and managers.

Eventually, workplaces became safer. Between 1913 and today, the US has experienced a 95% drop in job-related fatalities. One of the many reasons for the decline is the use of technology. If a specific task was deemed too dangerous to a worker, a form of technology took its place.

During this changing period, several organizations formed to further worker’s rights, improve their working conditions, coordinate with other nations, and create a set of standards for industries to follow.

The American National Standards Institute

Initially established in October 1918 as the American Engineering Standards Committee (AESC), ANSI started its first year as an ambitious program and little else. One year after its founding, the AESC approved its first standard regarding pipe threads. In 1920, the AESC began coordinating the replacement of many rules and laws that hampered the prevention of accidents. Adopted in 1921, the very first American Standard Safety Code protected the eyes and heads belonging to industrial workers.

Early on, the AESC was active in its attempts at promoting cooperation from other nations. In 1926, it hosted the conference that created the International Standards Association (ISA). After World War II, ISA evolved into the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The AESC underwent several reorganizations and name changes until 1968 when ANSI formed. Regardless of its name, the organization increased coordination and approval of voluntary national standards, called the American National Standards. Formalized in 1970 was a public review process and gave the ANSI Board of Standards Review (BSR) the responsibility of approving standards.

The BSR created procedures that determined if standards submitted to the Institute met its guidelines. These new requirements heightened the American National Standards credibility with the public, government agencies, and industry.

In the US, there were several notable recalls in 2007 that put the spotlight on consumer product safety and the global supply chain. ANSI became a leader in the demonstration of the value of standards and conformance, along with consumer safety.

The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association

The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA), founded in 1973 as a non-profit organization serving North American furniture manufacturers. As an ANSI-accredited standards developer, BIFMA develops voluntary performance and safety standards using the ANSI consensus process. Once ANSI approves them, the standards are made public for use by all applicable manufacturers and suppliers who submit their furniture to BIFMA-certified companies for testing.

The voluntary industry and product standards that BIFMA develop:

Support healthy, safe, and sustainable environments
Publish key industry statistics
Advocate for legislation and government regulation with a direct impact on the health of the industry
Provides a useful forum for members to cooperate and collaborate on appropriate industry issues

The difference between ANSI and BIFMA is simple:

ANSI covers a wide-range of industries, including office furniture, and sets the standards
BIFMA is dedicated exclusively to the commercial furniture industry and tests furniture to meet those standards

Working with the Government

Both ANSI and BIFMA are non-profit organizations. Furniture manufacturers aren’t required to meet standards the organizations develop, so their participation is strictly voluntary. However, a reputable furniture manufacturing company knows the value of joining and working with both organizations.

Although neither organization answers to the US government, they work closely with its various departments sharing knowledge and collaborating on the creation of new standards. The relationship between ANSI/BIFMA and the US government is a strong one because they share common goals of consumer protection.

The ANSI/BIFMA Tests

ANSI/BIFMA implement common standards for desk and table products meant for use in a commercial office environment. BIFMA-certified facilities evaluate the durability, structural performance, and safety of those products, including the anticipation of misusing them.

BIFMA-certified facilities put office furniture through the ringer. There are roughly 50 total tests, but the piece of furniture only needs to meet standards in its category. Some of these tests include:

Stability Under Vertical Load Test
Horizontal Stability Test for Desk/Tables with Casters
Force Stability Test for Tall Desk/Table Products
Concentrated Functional Load Test
Concentrated Proof Load Test
Top Load Ease Cycle Test
Desk/Table Unit Drop Test
Leg Strength Test
Cycle Test for Center/Pencil Drawers
Interlock Strength Test
Force Test for Door Locks
Locking Mechanism Cycle Test
Work Surface Vertical Adjustment Test
Keyboard Support and Input Device Support Adjustment Tests
Durability Test for Desks and Table with Casters
Pull Force Test

To earn ANSI/BIFMA certification, a piece of furniture needs to meet or exceed all applicable tests. BIFMA continually reviews its testing procedures and releases updates promptly. As individual tests are updated, manufacturers should re-test their furniture to meet the new standards.

Identifying the ANSI/BIFMA Rating for a Product

Earning an ANSI/BIFMA rating takes a lot of work and is a significant investment for a North American furniture manufacturer. After receiving their rating because of the hard work, manufacturers brag about their score and show it off prominently.

It’s easy to find the ANSI/BIFMA information; look for it on the company’s website and packaging materials. While looking over any furniture you’re thinking about buying, look for the ANSI and BIFMA logos. If you’re not entirely sure which rating the furniture earned, ask the available sales representative.

Why Should I Care?

With the many regulations and laws governing industries, trade organizations work with their respective industries to coordinate information with an end goal of creating consistent quality standards.

As a consumer, knowing that the furniture manufacturer voluntarily submitted their product to such stringent testing and succeeded, the ANSI/BIFMA rating means a safe and sustainable product.

In Sum

At the beginning of the evolution of workplace safety and standards, company goals were not altruistic. They were looking to save money. Despite those beginnings, good companies grew to be concerned about the well-being of their employees as well as competing in a global economy.

McDonald’s used to brag that regardless of the location of their restaurant you visited, there is no difference in the taste of any of their food. Although that may not be as true today, the overall concept of meeting industry standards and earning those ratings grew in importance.

My great-grandma told me that after a while, seeing cars and trucks drive by became routine (“…airplanes were cool, though!“). The advent of new industry standards has also become routine to the point where we take them for granted. It’s for this reason that it’s important to know how far things have improved in the last 100 years.

Do You Know the ANSI/BIFMA Standards? was last modified: June 15th, 2018 by David Manney

Originally published at www.raproducts.com on June 15, 2018.