CPSC Proposes New Mandatory Safety Standard for Children's Folding Chairs and Stools
The Consumer Product Safety Commission on Oct. 19 issued a proposed mandatory safety standard for children’s folding chairs and stools. The proposed rule would adopt the current voluntary industry standard, ASTM 2613-14, but limit its scope to only folding chairs and stools (instead of all children’s chairs). CPSC’s proposed standard would also set new performance and labeling requirements. Comments on the proposed rule are due Jan. 4.
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Under the proposed rule, the new safety standard would adopt ASTM’s definition of folding children’s chairs and stools as define children’s chairs and stools as “a children’s chair or stool which can be folded for transport or storage.” ASTM defines a children’s chair as “seating furniture with a rigid frame that is intended to be used as a support for the body, limbs, or feet of a child when sitting or resting in an upright or reclining position.” A “children’s stool” is defined by ASTM as a “children’s chair without back, or armrest.”
CPSC’s mandatory standard would adopt nearly in full the requirements set by ASTM 2613-14, but would only apply them to children’s chairs and stools that fold. The commission is also proposing to add to the stability test method in ASTM’s standard with a new performance requirement and test method to address sideways stability incidents in addition to rearwards stability incidents. The proposed standard would additionally revise marking and labeling sections of the ASTM standard. Any mandatory standard on children’s folding chairs and stools resulting from this proposal would take effect six months after the final rule is issued, said CPSC.
(Federal Register 10/19/15)