One thing I like about Ikea is the simplicity of the manuals which they use worldwide - the same furniture, the same manuals - until now... "Ikea Japan will modify its furniture assembly manuals after a man injured himself putting together a chest of drawers: The industry ministry has instructed Ikea Japan K.K., the Japanese unit of the Swedish retail furniture giant, to improve its product manuals after receiving a report that a customer was severely injured while assembling a chest of drawers. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has been informed that a man in his 60s from Yotsukaido, Chiba Prefecture, was hit in the eye by a fragment from a screw that cracked while he was assembling a Mandal chest of drawers he bought from Ikea last July. He has been having eye problems ever since. In response to the instruction, Ikea Japan compiled special assembly manuals written in Japanese in addition to its conventional manuals, which contain simple illustrations and brief instructions. “The explanations were not sufficient and we doubt that the accident resulted simply from carelessness on the user’s part,” said a ministry official at the office in charge of product accidents." The man who injured himself was using a screwdriver different to the size of the screws... Via Japan Probe.
the last sentence made me go WTF at the remark by the ministry official :P customer always right? (NOT!)
I used an IKEA manual once, then never again cause their system is so simple you take a look at the parts and can figure out 90% of what it's suposed to do. The BONDE racks for example, made me look once at the manual to check how you put in the single shelfs into the whoule thing. Using the correct screwdriver to fit the screws is common sense no? Next time someone forgets to breath while seting up IKEA furniture, IKEA will be forced to deliver an iPod Nano with each piece of furniture and an mp3 on it which goes "breath in - breath out - breath in ...". =.=
cool! mabee it'll be better than mine!
i'll buy several more ikea items then. :)
But a fellow commenter on Japan Probe makes a good point: Japanese culture is just so into "prepackaged goods" that DIY is simply not in their mentality. It's entirely possible this old man never owned more than one size screwdriver in his whole life... ...still stupid tho, I agree.
I got a feeling that soon Ikea will become a toy manufacturer, making furniture even kids can built themselves.
Lego?
Lego needs a high sense of logic (including 3D space), so I guess not even for some. T'would be too complicated for them I fear. ^^
Sounds more like an unfortunate accident that could happen while assembling ANY piece of furniture than something IKEA is to blame. But of course, it's always very easy (and cheap) to put the blame on big corporations.
First line of Japanese special assembly manual: Fuzakeruna-yo! (Don't be stupid!)
I LAMO-ed so hard I'm using superglue to put my @55 back...
LOL!
lol...
One day they will leave a note along the lines of: "Please don't forget to be sure you got the right tools -with the list of all that is necessary- before attempting anything"... But also something like "Don't be stingy in using the wrong screwdriver in a stubborn way instead of investing in one that is perfectly made for the situation".
"The ministry said that the man had used a standard screwdriver on the Phillips screw and that the size of the screwdriver had been inappropriate." So...he used a flat-head screwdriver, and it was the wrong size. I suppose the man *IS* 60...
simple line to add... Always use the correct tools as indicated and always wear eye protection. If you don't, than it's your own damn fault if you get injured.
Sweet Christ, I've been putting Ikea furniture together since I was 11 and haven't had a problem yet. There is always that ONE person to ruin it for everyone. And there is always a crowd to indulge them.
Don't forget the "I will sue you!" line, originally from Kaere (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei).
Haha luckily Japan isn't a very litigious society. Of course this does involve foreigners, so.... *gets out the stockades fitted for Swedish people*
Hmmm, but given the recent cases for more or less serious events in Japan... You see my point on it, don't you?
I built a lot of Ikea, and never had any problem with the manual. And if you use good tools, it's very simple. Long life to IKEA !
IKEA has nice aesthetics, but their goods are crap quality. I haven't met a fellow student who has had an IKEA bed or chair that hasn't broken or fallen apart during their time at college.
They have a whole range of quality with the price tag to go with it. I'm sure students get the cheapest, and unfortunately those really do not last.
No matter how good a manual gets, there's no curing idiocy.
Nintendo was not that stupid as in including a "Keeping your Wii alive and safe for Dummies". You never know how far stupidity can reach and when or where it strikes (a bit like lighting bolts and thunder)
Having assembled an IKEA bedside table and chest of drawers recently, i find it really surprising that Japan of all places gets 'special' instructions as a result of one silly customer who is more than likely threatening to sue. I would kinda expect this sorta thing from America or the UK, not Japan!
what a noooob. I took like 10 mins to put together my Billy bookcase. Using it as my figure display cabinet..
it's funny to know that despite millions (or billions) of customers worldwide, no one got any injuries from assembling an ikea furniture. But becos of one old man, japan ikea is going to change the whole thing.. HA Ha Ha >.>
Nothing is perfect.. Even with revised and updated manual books, accidents are bound to happen..
eee.....eee...ehhh....
The Economy, Trade and Industry ministry is really, doing both the wrong thing and the correct thing at the same time. Wrong since they're asking for something inefficient and ineffective. Why bother for just one person out of millions out there. Right since they're following the culture that is so strongly followed in Japan. Deviating from a strong culture is hardly an option for individuals living in it. (Btw. this too detailed manual is actually a strong culture in Japan, right? ^^).
This is Houston, we have an idiot there. Prepare to fire photon torpedoes on my command~~ I mean, shouldn't different sizes be OBVIOUS enough? Even if the manual doesn't say so...
Why didn't that old man do it the right way. He's suppose to use a plumber's wrench to hammer down that screw.
Ookay... Is this guy trying to be funny of something? Seriously, I don't know why people do "clever" stuff like this...
I love Ikea. My room is basically a small Ikea showcase. But one has to be incredibly incompetent to injure himself while building a chest of drawers using a simple Ikea manual. Maybe, he wasn't using the manual at all.
Well it does require intelligence to put stuff together. I think 50% of the population won't be able to do it properly.
Ikea is great! Perfect for people on a budget. This only hurts them, a company dedicated for their simplicity.
One thing that must always be taken into account, is the end user be a complete and utter brain donor.
They're like Lego manuals, how the hell could you mess something like that up? I'm kinda retarded at spatial relations and even I've managed not to build my lung into a chest of drawers or something equally ridiculous.
Heh, still not as bad as the kid that was swinging an umbrella like a bat and got the spoke stuck in another kid's eye. It was on Japan Probe last week at some point.
"What do you mean the screwdriver doesn't go into the eye?!"
Put this in a manual...Do not go kill people with a screwdriver in this box....check!
or rather kill yourself by accident (or rather sheer imprudence).
while fixing ikea products, i see their manuals the same as when i view my gundam kit manuals. handle with care and you'll see the result, although i think i understand the gunpla's manual better
how much of a moron do you have to be to get the serverly injured trying to assemble a drawer? if i was hurt like that i sure as heck wouldnt tell anyone...anywas may whole apartment is Ikea and i've never so much as scratched myself make it all...like 7 BILLY book cases for amy anime and video and book/manga collection a couple MALM drawers and my two computer tables, heck the dining room table and my couches...i guess no matter how fool proof you make a manual some one will always make bigger fool...
Dumb ppl are everywhere. There was once an older lady sued Mcdonld coz their coffee was too hot and she burnt herself. =/
Yeah, and I heard she won the case... Where is the world coming to?
Wha...? We aren't supposed to need instructions, right? That guy is made of epic fail. Someone seriously needs to open an Ikea here.
Well, from my experiences with Ikea, I have never once had fragments of screws flying into my eyes.
This old man should buy figure instead of Ikea Stuff : sexy figure are better for the eyes ;)
I see what you did there.
I stick to my comment on Japan Probe, Ikea manuals suck. Or at least the one that came with my chair did.
are we seeing Ikea 'Lego' like furnitures in the future? lol
They should bundle common sense with their products. :D
The dude probably wasn't being careful. I've put together all types of stuff from Ikea and I never got hurt. Some people are just clumsy.
