Safety device for furniture

Safety device for furniture having at least one movable element which can be moved by a motor-driven positioning drive controlled by operating controls, particularly the head and/or foot of a base for a bed or recliner, or a seat and/or backrest element of an armchair, where the positioning of the element forms a gap in which an object or body part can become trapped as a result of the movement of the element, and with at least one contact element positioned in said gap, characterised in that said at least one contact element, when subjected to the pressure of an object or body part, closes an electric circuit, that the contact element has a first contact and a second contact positioned parallel to, and at a distance from, the first contact, where the first and second contacts can be brought into contact to form a current carrying connection by applying pressure, that the motor of the positioning drive is connected electrically to a voltage source via two wires, where each of the wires is associated with a switching element with two positions which can be controlled via a control cable and which, depending on the position of the switching element, connects the end of the wire connected to the motor with a different pole of the voltage source and which, during application of a control voltage, changes from a normal position to a second position, where the switching elements are arranged such that no voltage is applied to the motor in the normal position and where the control voltage can be applied to the switching elements by closing the associated switches on the operating controls, and that a control voltage can be applied to the switching element by closing the electric circuit by said contact element, whereby said switching element triggers a movement of the positioning drive which counteracts trapping in the gap.