What Are the Safety Features of a La-Z-Boy Recliner?

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When you think of La-Z-Boy, what's the first thing that comes to mind? If you guessed recliners, you would be in the right spot.

Since its inception, La-Z-Boy has been synonymous with recliners for generations. After all, being the inventor of the recliner, you would think our name would stick with this comfortable furniture all this time!

However, what you may not know or notice at first about La-Z-Boy recliners is the fact that they are made with quality materials that will help prolong the lifespan of your furniture for years to come.

With these quality materials, which have been tested vigorously through industry standards, we can confidently say that our furniture is sustainable, non-toxic, and safe to use for anyone of all shapes and sizes.

But what specific safety features are incorporated into our recliners? How are they designed to prevent accidents such as falling over in the chair, unintentional injuries with the footrest, or being unable to exit the power furniture during a power outage?

Stick around to learn about all of these standard safety measures put in place for your La-Z-Boy furniture.

In This Article…

1. Reclining Mechanism Safety Features
2. Recliner Weight Testing
3. Power Furniture 
4. Green Guard Certified Products

1. Reclining Mechanism Safety Features

One of the more considerable factors that prove La-Z-Boy’s consideration for safety is the construction of our recliners. When looking at the inside of a La-Z-Boy recliner, you’ll notice that there are many metal and wood components to the structure of the piece, like any recliner in the market. 

However, what separates La-Z-Boy recliners from others is the fact that there are specific pieces that are different from other quality recliners. For example, La-Z-Boy mechanisms are built with solid steel rivets which help keep the recliner footrest lasting longer than other recliners on the market.

The mechanisms are also built with a prevention measure to keep your leg rest from causing injury to anyone.

With manual recliners, normally the way to lower the legrest is by using the handle on the outside of the frame. However, if there’s enough pressure on the front, the legrest would be able to drop quickly. 

For example, if you were sitting on your recliner and a child or animal runs towards the front of it and adds force to the raised legrest, the footrest will disconnect from the mechanism and falls to prevent injuries

Another way that pressure plays a factor is with our power furniture. While these pieces usually help lower the footrest from the reclined position, they can also let go if it senses any pressure underneath the frame. 

For example, if any pets lay underneath your recliner, or if any large items prevent the recliner from closing, the recliner will stop in its tracks and prevent itself from potentially breaking the motor inside or the frame entirely.

These measures were put in place to not only keep you and your loved ones safe but also help prolong the life of your recliner.

2. Recliner Testing

Stepping away from the mechanism to the wooden construction of La-Z-Boy recliner parts, the overall recliner frame goes through various tests to ensure the furniture is stable and durable.

One of the tests that a La-Z-Boy recliner undergoes is seeing how much weight these pieces can withstand. La-Z-Boy tests this by repeatedly putting a weighted pack on the back and seat cushion to mimic the scenario of someone getting in and out of the chair.

Recliners go through at least 100,000 cycles of this, which not only shows how durable the frame of a recliner is, but also how much weight it can withstand. La-Z-Boy branded furniture can accommodate up to 300 pounds of weight at any given time.

La-Z-Boy recliners also go through what’s called a balancing test, which helps figure out if a recliner will be able to tip over or not. Because of the four-sided hardwood frame built in our recliners, these furniture pieces will be able to stay grounded at the base, without falling over due to weight distribution.

La-Z-Boy recliners are designed for reclining fully back in what’s called a “zero-gravity position,” and they won’t ever fall back on themselves because of their construction.

3. Power Furniture

In addition to the protective footrest measures previously mentioned, La-Z-Boy's power furniture incorporates various other safety features into its design.

First and foremost, it is important to note that power furniture cannot work without power, hence the reason why they are called power furniture. The main source of power is two 9V battery packs, which can be purchased at almost any grocery or hardware store. Once it is plugged into an outlet, your power furniture can fully work.

However, what would happen if the power went out? Would you be able to work your power furniture then? 

While younger individuals can typically navigate their way out of a reclined position in a recliner, people with mobility issues, especially those living alone, may find themselves trapped. The uncertainty of power restoration further compounds the situation, leaving them unsure of how long they could remain stuck in their recliner without any means of getting out.

Luckily, La-Z-Boy is conscious about sustaining power, which is where the 9V batteries come in handy. Even if the power goes out, you would still be able to use your recliner as long as they have the batteries in the power pack.

For ensuring their functionality during emergencies, it is recommended to replace the V9 batteries in your furniture annually. 

La-Z-Boy also has rechargeable battery packs that customers can purchase for an extra cost. Since these are rechargeable, you could also still use your recliner if the power goes out, as long as there is still power left in these batteries. Rechargeable batteries will let you know when it is time to recharge them by sounding off a series of beeps.

To learn more about La-Z-Boy’s Rechargeable Battery Packs, take a look at this article.

4. Green Guard Certified Products

While the construction of your furniture is important, it is also good to know if your furniture is made with safe and non-toxic materials.

This is why all La-Z-Boy furniture is certified under the Greenguard Certification Program. The UL Green Guard certification signifies that our furniture is designed to lower chemical emissions that could be hidden within your furniture.

This can include harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), that could be hidden inside your furniture materials. Ever wondered what that new furniture smell is? These smells are the chemicals in your furniture being exposed to air for the first time, reacting to oxygen and creating toxins in the air. Unsealing a large furniture item could potentially allow up to 50 VOCs to enter your household.

With the Green Guard certification, this program helps to reduce the potentially harmful chemical exposures that can come from materials used to make furniture, like VOCs. 

In addition, certain La-Z-Boy furniture products have achieved Greenguard Gold status. This signifies that larger furniture frames, such as sofas and sectionals, undergo rigorous testing to minimize the presence of airborne chemicals and toxins.

This gold certification is proven to limit over 360 VOCs and chemical emissions. To learn more about the potential toxins in La-Z-Boy furniture, check out our article Is La-Z-Boy Furniture Toxic?

What's Next?

With this information in mind, you can now see that La-Z-Boy takes care of you inside the showroom, and afterwards. Now you can feel better about safely using your recliner, without worrying about any of the harmful scenarios listed above.

Since you have this newfound knowledge of our quality recliners, why not check them out in person? La-Z-Boy has many locations all around Ottawa & Kingston. Check out our locations by visiting a store today.

Our design consultants are always eager to lend a helping hand. Do not hesitate to ask any questions about our safety features or exclusive features of La-Z-Boy while in-store. You may also want to take advantage of our complimentary interior design services, to help put together the room of your dreams!

You can learn more about La-Z-Boy’s Exclusive Features with this article.

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