16 CFR Part 1633: Federal mattress flammability standard approved
| WASHINGTON D.C. - February 16, 2006
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission today approved a federal mattress flammability standard to take effect July 1, 2007. The CPSC commissioners voted unanimously to approve the recommendations of its staff on the testing protocol, which requires a 30-minute burn test for all mattresses manufactured in the U.S. The State of California currently has such regulations in place in California Technical Bulletin 603, which went into effect January 1, 2005. At present, the U.S. Federal Government has a standard regarding the flammability of mattresses exposed to smoldering cigarettes (16 CFR Part 1632); the new standard will require testing that exposes a mattress to open flame. When finalized, the federal open flame standard will be codified as 16 CFR Part 1633. “Consumers who purchase a new mattress that meets this standard will add an important layer of fire safety protection to their home,” said CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton. “Lives will be saved as a result of this standard, as it requires new mattresses to limit the spread and intensity of a mattress fire, which will give people more time to escape from their residence.” Research by the CPSC determined that bedding and mattresses were the first items ignited in 15,300 residential fires to which firefighters were called between 1999 and 2002. It was also determined that the approximately 330 annual deaths and 1,680 annual injuries are potentially preventable by implementation of this standard. When fully effective, CPSC estimates the new mandatory standard for mattresses is likely to save as many as 270 lives a year and prevent 1330 injuries. Stork Twin City Testing has tested bedding, mattresses, and materials for over 50 years, and currently operates one of the few TB603 open flame testing chambers in the country. Product Evaluation Manager Michiel Graswinckel says, "The approval of the federal standard protocol is significant for our clients in mattress manufacturing. In the fall, we completed an expansion of our flame chamber to double our testing capacity in anticipation of the new standard--we expect that this announcement will lead to many calls and emails from manufacturers. "At Stork, our job is to provide information and education as well as services. Stork bedding and flammability experts have followed and studied the new federal mattress flammability standard since it was first proposed as a state standard in California. Concerned manufacturers can start learning about the federal standard on our website, in a white paper titled, Explaining the Proposed Open-Flame Mattress Flammability Standard. From there, manufacturers can call us for more details and scheduling of the required test programs for their products." |
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