Are there any industry standards for office chairs?

There are 2 organizations dedicated to providing thorough testing for office furniture items and equipment: the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Business and Industrial Furniture Manufacturer’s Association (BIFMA). It is recommended that any pieces of office furniture purchased, including office chairs, have met the standards put forth by ANSI/BIFMA. Chairs that have not met the rigorous standards that the ANSI/BIFMA have set-up may be unsafe to work with. Unsafe office furniture can be detrimental to you or your employee’s health and also costly to your bottom line.

ANSI is the administrator and coordinator of the United States private sector voluntary standardized system. It is a private, non-profit membership organization supported by various private and public sector organizations. The ANSI seeks to keep US businesses competitive in global markets by promoting standards and systems to follow.
BIFMA is a non-profit voluntary organization that advocates for safe, healthy working environments and industry manufacturing standards. Their focus is on the office furniture and equipment field and they serve businesses engaged in design, fulfillment, marketing and development.
ANSI/BIFMA X5.1-2002: American National Standard for Office Furnishings – General Purpose Office Chairs – Tests include: scope, definitions, general sections and tests for: back pull, unit base, swivel cycling, tilt mechanism, seating impact, front and rear stability, arm strength, back durability, caster/chair base durability, foot ring durability and tablet arm tests