Branch Recalls 16,000 Ergonomic Office Chairs Over Detaching Backrests

On September 3, 2026, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and furniture maker Branch announced a recall of about 16,000 ergonomic office chairs after their backrests can detach during use, creating a fall hazard. If you work from a home office or manage a workplace full of task chairs, this Branch ergonomic chair recall is worth a few minutes of your attention, because the failure happens at the one moment you least expect it: when you lean back and trust the seat to hold you.

What happened

According to the CPSC recall notice (recall number 26-735), the backrest on the affected chairs can separate from the seat while someone is sitting in it. When a backrest lets go under load, the person leaning against it can lose their support and fall backward. Branch has received 11 reports of backrests detaching. No injuries have been reported so far, which is the good news, and it is also exactly the window in which a recall does the most good: before the incident count turns into an injury count.

The recall covers roughly 16,000 chairs in the United States, with an additional 180 or so recalled in Canada through Health Canada. The chairs were manufactured in Thailand between September 10, 2025 and April 22, 2026, and imported by Bureau Office, Inc., which does business as Branch. They span 16 model and color combinations of Branch’s height-adjustable ergonomic chair line.

These were not obscure products sold from a single storefront. Branch chairs in the recall were sold from December 2025 through July 2026 for roughly $320 to $350 on BranchFurniture.com and through several large retail websites, including Amazon.com, West Elm, The Container Store, and Office Depot. That broad distribution is why this matters to a wide audience of remote workers, small offices, and facilities managers who may have bought in quantity.

Why it matters for safety

A falling office chair does not sound as dramatic as a lithium-ion fire or a tipping dresser, but backward falls from a seated position are a real and underrated source of injury. When a backrest detaches, the body’s natural reaction to leaning is suddenly unopposed. The result can be a fall onto the tailbone, the back of the head, or an outstretched wrist and arm, sometimes against a hard floor, a desk edge, or nearby equipment. For older workers, people with existing back or neck conditions, or anyone in a workspace with concrete or tile floors, that kind of fall carries outsized risk.

The pattern here is also a familiar one in product safety: a structural connection that carries the full weight and motion of the user is the connection you want to be certain about. Backrests, casters, gas lift cylinders, and seat plates all take repeated dynamic loads every single day. When any of them fails, the failure tends to be sudden rather than gradual, which removes the warning a user would normally rely on to catch themselves. That is what makes a “no injuries yet” recall so useful, and why acting on it early is genuinely protective rather than just paperwork.

What you should do

• Check whether your chair is included. Flip up the seat or look underneath for the manufacture label on the bottom of the seat cushion. Branch is asking owners to verify the chair qualifies using that label before requesting a repair.
• Stop relying on the backrest if in doubt. If you own a covered Branch chair, avoid leaning back into it until it is repaired. Sitting upright without loading the backrest reduces the chance of a sudden detachment while you wait for parts.
• Request the free repair kit. Branch is providing a no-cost repair kit that includes a replacement backrest, installation instructions, three bolts, and an Allen key. Owners submit photos of the manufacture label to confirm eligibility and receive the kit.
• Follow the instructions exactly. Because the failure point is the backrest-to-seat connection, torque and correct bolt placement matter. Use the supplied hardware and steps rather than improvising with spare screws.
• Report problems. If your backrest has already loosened or come off, report it to Branch and to the CPSC at SaferProducts.gov so the incident is on record.

What to do. If you have a recalled Branch ergonomic chair, sit upright without leaning on the backrest, check the label under the seat, and request the free repair kit at branchfurniture.com/recall or by emailing customersupport@branchfurniture.com. Do not throw the chair out; the repair restores it at no cost.

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How to contact Branch

Branch has set up a dedicated recall page at branchfurniture.com/recall, reachable through the Recall Information section of its support site. Owners can also email the company at customersupport@branchfurniture.com. When you reach out, have your chair’s manufacture label handy, since Branch verifies eligibility from a photo of that label before shipping the repair kit. There is no cost to the consumer for the kit or the replacement backrest.

Context and what’s next

This recall lands during a busy stretch of home-office and furniture safety actions. In the same window, the CPSC has flagged tip-over hazards on several imported dressers and repair-or-refund actions on other seating, a reminder that the furniture around a workstation is part of the safety picture, not just the chair. For employers, a detaching backrest is also a workplace safety issue: office task chairs used on the job fall under an employer’s general duty to provide a safe environment, so facilities and safety managers should inventory any Branch chairs purchased for staff and route them through the repair process rather than waiting for an employee to report a failure.

What happens next is largely in owners’ hands. Recalls like this one succeed or fail on participation: a free repair kit only helps the people who request and install it. Because the affected chairs were sold recently and at a mainstream price point, many are still in daily use, which is all the more reason to check now rather than after an incident. Branch says it is contacting known purchasers directly, but anyone who bought through a third-party retailer should not assume they will be reached automatically. If you gave or resold one of these chairs to someone else, pass the recall along.

Disclaimer: This article is for general safety information only and is not legal, medical, or professional advice. Product details, unit counts, and remedies reflect the CPSC recall notice available at publication and may be updated by the agency or the company. Always confirm current instructions directly with the CPSC and Branch before acting.

Sources: CPSC recall notice (Branch Ergonomic Chairs); CPSC Recalls; Health Canada recall alert.