Thomas Northcut/Digital Vision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Office Depot has agreed to pay out 3.4 million dollars for defective office chairs that allegedly hurt dozens of desk-hunched workers’ backs. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says Office Depot received nearly 200 reports about the chairs from customers, over 30 of which resulted in injuries.
Companies are required to report product defects to the CPSC within 24 hours. The alleged problem-chairs are two rolling office models: one, a luxury-model “Quantum” $350 chair, the other, a $40 bargain “Gibson” seat. The civil penalty charges both chairs’ seatbacks failed. CPSC claims Office Depot never reported the more expensive chair’s hazard, and only logged reports of the cheaper defective model after a request from staff.
Office Depot neither admits nor denies the charges, but has agreed to pay the settlement.
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