Auditorium seating has established weight limits so that all of the people sitting in the chairs can be safe. When the amount of weight exceeds the auditorium seating weight limits the rows of chairs can collapse and human injuries are a distinct possibility.
The majority of chairs constructed for auditorium seating purposes are designed with a weight limit of two hundred and fifty pounds per chair. This weight is generally not the amount that is in each of the chairs on the row.
You generally have many people who weigh under the two hundred and fifty pound limit and you will have some people who weigh more than the two hundred and fifty pound limit. The weight of all of the people combined will usually work out to somewhere close to the weight limit set by the manufacturer.
Many people do not understand that the weight limit does not just affect the individual seat that the people are listed in. This weight limit affects the steel bars that the chairs bolt to and the framework that held the seats in an upright position.
When the weight that is placed in the auditorium seating rows proceeds the recommended amount the bars that are holding the chairs up can become compromised. These bars could bend or break and cause the row of seats to collapse and fall. When the chairs fall, the people will fall and tumble on top of each other, and the pieces of the furniture. This could result in injuries to the people in the chairs. This would mean possible lawsuits for the establishment.
In order to try and prevent this type of thing from occurring most establishments try to buy chairs that are designed to withstand more weight than the average seat could. They also try to make sure that the chairs are installed with extra bracing whenever possible to make the framework stronger and give the bar holding the chairs in position some added help.
The individual seats and backs on the chairs can also be bent and compromised when the people sitting in them exceed the weight limit set by the manufacturer. Airlines have to charge passengers that weigh over certain amounts more to fly because they take up more seating than the average person does.
Each seat on an airplane is allotted only so much weight that can be placed in it. If the passenger weighs more than the seat allows the airline has to leave the seat next to them empty to compensate for the additional weight.
Weight limits are very important for the public safety concerns to be met. Some establishments provide a section of seats that are capable of handling large people and the weight of several larger people.
If you are establishing a public place for people to come and watch a show, a game, or get together try and include a section that can accommodate larger than average people. You will have less safety issues if you do.