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DEFECTIVE OFFICE EQUIPMENT


Product Liability Lawyer reviewing office injury cases and lawsuits for plaintiffs nationwide
Nationwide Success

Office Equipment Injuries

Employees in office settings may not see regular everyday items like chairs, desks and other furniture and office equipment as a workplace hazard, but even so, some defective products may cause injuries and make the office more dangerous than previously thought.

Workers may be injured performing normal tasks in an office environment, although the vast majority of reported injuries are preventable.

Office chairs are known to fail and prompt product recalls. According to a study conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, unstable, faulty and defective furniture was the cause of 43,000 emergency room visits between 2008 and 2010. Primary causes included household and office chairs.

In recent years, faulty and defective office furniture, supplies and equipment have been recalled after causing injuries or has not performed as intended, prompting safety experts to warn consumers of the risks. Offices are normally furnished with items like desks and chairs, and every so often, these may be defectively manufactured.

Other office supplies may also cause injury if they are defective, such as staplers, paper cutters and box cutters. If you have been injured by any equipment in your office, you may be entitled to compensation, and should contact an experienced product liability attorney.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated product liability lawyer representing plaintiffs nationwide in a wide variety of consumer product liability and workplace injury cases.

Defective Office Chairs Recalled

American office workers sit in chairs for many hours each day and don’t think they pose a possible risk. However, office chairs, like any other consumer product may fail when defective. If a consumer has taken normal precaution and the chair still causes an injury, they may be entitled to a personal injury claim.

In June, 2017. Staples recalled 124,000 Hazen Mesh Task chairs because the legs on the base of the chair can break, and pose a fall hazard. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled chairs and contact Staples. Staples has received 20 reports of the legs breaking on the chairs, including three reports of injuries.

In May, 2017, Leggett & Platt recalled 47,000 Office chairs originally sold at Costco, OfficeMax, Office Depot, Staples, and also online at Amazon.com, Costco.com, OfficeDepot.com, Staples.com, and Walmart.com. The company has noted that the hazard is caused by seat slider bolts and push nuts that may disconnect and fall from the office chair, causing the seat to detach from the chair, posing a fall hazard to consumers.

The recall involves all office chairs with a Leggett & Platt LP01 synchro slider mechanism. The slider components were sold on five brands of office chairs: Hon, Hugg, JSI, Sitmatic and Via Seating. Specific recalled models include the following:

  • Proform
  • Brisbane
  • Genie
  • Riva Act II
  • Jaguar
  • Leon
  • Tigre
  • Lido
  • Verona
  • Opus
  • Regis
  • Beta
  • Proxy
  • Protocol
  • Nucleus

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office Depot agreed in 2015 to penalties of $3.4 million in settlement regarding its failure to notify the safety agency of defects and safety risks concerning two types of chairs it sold with defective seatbacks.

The two chair models, the “Gibson” and the “Quantum,” triggered back-related and other injuries among users. The CPSC received 14 notices of injuries resulting from the Quantum chair, and about 25 injury complaints associated with the Gibson chair. Both items were recalled but not before thousands of chairs were put to market.

Defective Office Equipment

If you have been injured by defective office equipment of any kind you may have a claim against a negligent manufacturer. Office product manufacturers should be held accountable for the injuries that they cause to workers.

If the product that caused your injury was recalled, you should contact the Lyon Firm and we can provide you with the legal assistance necessary to be eligible for compensation.

CONTACT THE LYON FIRM TODAY

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ABOUT THE LYON FIRM

Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.

The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.

NO COST UNLESS WE WIN

The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.

photo of attorney Joe Lyon
A Voice for Those who have suffered 

Why are these cases important?

Many product liability cases have had a positive impact on public health and safety, and we have witnessed improved lives and future injuries prevented as companies are forced to remove products and change designs and warnings as a result of litigation.

CONTACT THE LYON FIRM TODAY

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Discovering a Product Defect: Initial Steps

  1. Secure the product;
  2. Obtain a complete history from the client and any witnesses on the purchase, use and incident with the product
  3. Obtain all incident or accident reports and photographs;
  4. Obtain medical records of admission, EMS and first four days of hospital admission;
  5. Obtain any government agency via FOIA requests;
  6. Research any other similar incidents including lawsuits;
  7. Research any active recalls;
  8. Research any nuanced areas of law that the facts reveal;
  9. Consult with appropriate experts;
  10. Determine whether case merits filing a lawsuit
  11. Perform any product inspection or testing with appropriate protocols in place. 

Our Victories

The Lyon Firm aggressively, professionally, and passionately advocates for injured individuals and families against companies due to a defective product or recalled product to obtain just compensation under the law. 

DEFECTIVE LAP BELT RESTRAINT

SPINAL CORD INJURY

(Pikeville, Kentucky): Confidential settlement for Plaintiff who suffered spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia due to defectively designed seat belt. Four passengers with three-point (lap/shoulder) belts walked away from the accident, and the only passenger wearing a two-point belt (lap only) suffered a debilitating spinal cord injury. The settlement assisted with home improvements to assist in daily living. GM entered federal bankruptcy during the process and no longer manufactures two-point lap belts for vehicles.

DEFECTIVE PROPANE WALL HEATER

WRONGFUL DEATH 

(Hillsboro, Ohio): Confidential Settlement for the family of elderly man who was catastrophically burned while operating a propane wall heater. The burns resulted in his unfortunate death. The heater, manufactured and sourced from China, was alleged to allow the flame to reach outside the grid area in violation of ANSI standards. The Defendant resolved the case following discovery and mediation. The recovered funds were paid to the victim’s surviving spouse and children. The company no longer manufactures this type of heater.