Rising chair safety: seven habits for trouble-free use

Give the chair room to move

A riser recliner moves further than it sits: footrests extend forward, backs recline backwards and the whole seat rises.

Keep the zone the chair sweeps through clear of furniture, fires, radiators and trailing items, and check that clearance every time the room is rearranged.

Loose rugs and trailing cables near a chair that moves are the two most common household trip hazards; both are cheap to fix.

Respect the cables

Route the power cable along the wall, not under the carpet or through the chair’s moving zone. Unplug by the plug, not the lead, and look over the cable occasionally for kinks or damage, especially if the chair sits near a walkway.

Sit down and stand up deliberately

Use the rise action deliberately and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. During the rise, sit square in the seat with feet supported until stable, then stand only when it feels safe.

If the user feels unsteady, dizzy or unwell, they should stay seated and call for help rather than risk a fall. A pendant alarm or phone within reach of the chair is sensible for anyone living alone.

• Fully lower before sitting; fully rise before standing
• Feet flat and seated square before rising
• Keep a phone or alarm within reach
• Stop and call for help if anything feels wrong

Mind the handset

Keep the handset on its cradle or clipped where the manufacturer intends, not on the seat where it can be sat on, and not dangling where it can be caught by the action.

Show every regular user the reset button first; it is the one that solves most surprises.

Know the warning signs

Grinding noises, jerky movement, a handset that needs pressing twice, or any burning smell are reasons to stop using the chair and unplug it.

Describe the symptom, the model and when it started when you call for a repair; photographs of the handset and the chair’s label speed up diagnosis.

Our repairs page explains what to tell us so the first visit is usually the only visit.