California Proposes to Amend Upholstered Furniture Flammability Standard

GENEVA - June 14, 2013 - PRLog -- The proposed draft TB 117-2013(1) aims to reduce the use of potentially toxic flame retardants currently added to upholstered furniture and specifies that new fire safety testing will eliminate the open flame test.

Current Flammability Standard

The current upholstered furniture flammability standard, adopted in the 1970s, requires upholstered furniture paddings/ interior filling materials to withstand exposure to a 12 second small open flame test. Manufacturers throughout the nation typically meet this requirement by using polyurethane foam treated with flame retardant chemicals to slow the spread of flames.

New Flammability Tests

The Bureau is now proposing to amend TB 117 by eliminating the open flame test and test only using a smoulder test method for upholstery cover fabrics. This new regulatory proposal would establish new performance and labeling requirements allowing the Bureau to conduct smoulder resistance testing of products for the purpose of protecting consumers from fires ignited by smouldering materials. According to the Bureau, this new rule is based on the ASTM International voluntary upholstered furniture flammability standard ASTM E-1353-08a with certain modifications.

Furniture Exempted From the TB 117

In addition, the Bureau states that the proposal will lessen the burden on manufacturers through the exemption of products deemed to pose no serious fire hazard. There are 17 additional baby and infant products that are exempt from the new standard: infant walkers, booster seat, car seats, infant seats, changing pads, floor play mats, highchairs, highchair pads, infant swings, bassinets, infant bouncers, nursing pads, play yards, playpen side pads, infant mattresses, infant mattress pads and portable hook-on chairs. According to the Bureau, these items contain a much lower fuel load content (i.e. foam, batting) than average adult seating furniture and are less likely to be ignited or come in contact with an ignition source under the exercise of reasonable care and supervision of adults.

Currently, all products subject to exemption from this flammability standard must have an exemption label attached. In the proposed standard, exempt products will no longer require an exemption label. This will be a cost saving to manufacturers of exempted products.

The public consultation ended on March 26, 2013, and, if the proposed rule is adopted by the state agency, it would require furniture materials labeled as fire-resistant to meet smoulder resistance standards and comply with specific testing methods for cover fabrics, barrier materials and resilient filling materials by July 1, 2014. Detailed information on the proposed changes(http://www.bhfti.ca.gov/about/laws/notice.pdf ) to the TB 117-2013 standardhas been summarized by the BEARHFTI.

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Reference

(1) BEARHFTI Proposed Regulations (http://www.bhfti.ca.gov/about/laws/propregs.shtml)

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