Furniture fire safety standards – an update

Previously we reported how the Department for Business and Trade and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) had begun a consultation process looking at a new approach to dealing with the fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture.

A particular concern with the current regulations has been the volume of chemical flame retardants (CFRs) which are used to ensure that upholstered furniture passes flammability tests.

Recently the government published a policy paper setting out the findings so far and the next steps that they intend to take to modernise the current system.

In the short term the government intends to launch legislation to make a number of amendments, including removing the need for manufacturers to affix a display label to new products.

In order to reduce the exposure of babies and children to CFRs, the legislation will also look to remove certain baby and children’s products from the scope of the regulations where the risk of exposure to potentially harmful chemicals is greater than the fire risk.

The full policy paper can be viewed on the Gov.Uk website.

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