Are Easy Lift Chairs Safe Or Not?

Issues have been raised against the safety of using easy lift chairs. Designed primarily to give comfort so that standing (from sitting) and sitting (from standing) becomes a lot easier, the use of easy lift chairs has undoubtedly improved the quality of living especially of individuals with physical limitations. But not all easy are safe. The question "Are easy lift chairs safe or not?" has become a crucial consideration whenever one decides to buy a lift chair.

So what have made the use of easy lift chairs hazardous in the eyes of a supposedly easy-loving and comfort-driven market?

Lift chairs alone cannot be blamed for the tragic accidents that involve using recliners. Nearly all reports of lift chair-related deaths feature a trapped child or a suffocated toddler who was obviously left unsupervised. If not the victims themselves, their playmates are often the ones who had playfully, and unknowingly, manipulated the controls of some sophisticated easy lift chair and eventually brought disaster.

In 1994, a toddler of 1 year and 3 months from Oklahoma died when a lift chair was suddenly lowered and accidentally hit his head. The situation: the boy was somewhere between the chair's frame and its upholstered section and got trapped when his two-year old sister operated on the lift chair's hand switch.

A similar tragedy happened in 2009 when an 18-month old toddler from Wayne County, Indiana was found dead on a recliner. The boy's head was trapped in the recliner while sleeping and was found by his babysitter just as the toddler's parents were leaving for work.

Even an 8-year old child from UK also got trapped, suffocated, and died after playing with the controls of his grandfather's orthopedic chair. This happened in 2000 and the boy, prior to the accident, was right under the electrically operated chair which control he was using.

Such mishaps are likely to occur even with other equipment whenever children are left playing with them – in fact they already happened many times, and some of the things involved are even a lot safer than what consumers often consider as "safe". Improper use of easy lift chairs may undoubtedly lead to disasters just like with improper use of any other equipment.

In order to further ensure the safety of easy lift chairs to all consumers, safety standards have been implemented for their manufacture. United Kingdom was the first to pioneer this innovation in lift chairs and has even made a law against lift chair makers who will not abide by the new safety requirements. United States soon adopted similar safety regulations with the manufacturing company La-Z-Boy leading the movement.

Apart from all the recent changes in the manufacture of lift chairs, consumer behavior largely determines the answer to the question: "Are easy lift chairs safe or not?" Every buyer has the primary responsibility to determine the exact type of lift chair appropriate for his own personal requirements. The size, height, weight capacity, specific functions, and even back up features will determine whether an easy lift chair is safe or not – for you.