The rise in obesity levels has resulted in the need for a new product range from the leading manufacturer of emergency evacuation chairs.

Evac+Chair International is launching two new products which will be available for demonstration at the forthcoming Safety and Health Expo 2011 at the NEC in Birmingham (Stand R42). The standard Evac+Chair 300H is to be replaced with a new mark 4 edition which has a payload of 180kg, an increase of 30kg on the earlier model.

The company has also developed a brand new chair, the 1-440 which has the capacity to hold an individual weighing 200kg. The new chair includes a foot rest and is designed to have two people to assist where necessary.

Mark Wallace, Managing Director at Evac+Chair International, said: "New product development for the bariatric market is not confined to the healthcare sector. With almost a quarter of adults in England classified as obese there is an increasing need to provide health and safety equipment which caters for their needs.

"We have invested significantly in research and development in order to develop this new range of products. It has included using advanced material technology and executing a rigorous testing programme. The result is two chairs which can easily cater for a heavier weight capacity. Our standard chair, the new 300H Mk4 also remains the lightest chair on the market."