July 20, 2010: CPSC Approves New Drop-Side Crib Standards
On July
14, 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted (5 to 0) to
approve proposed new mandatory standards to address the hazards posed by
full-size and non-full-size cribs.
Serious
safety hazards with cribs have ranged from drop-side hardware or other
drop-side entrapment issues to failures of the mattress support and detachment
or breakage of the crib slats. These defects create potentially hazardous gaps
allowing a baby to become entrapped and suffocate, or fall out of the crib.
The Consumer Product Safety
Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) directs CPSC to issue mandatory safety
standards for durable infant or toddler products. CPSC’s notice of proposed rulemaking
("NPR") for cribs includes:
1.
a
standard for full-size cribs that is substantially the same as ASTM F 1169-10,
Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Full-Size Baby Cribs, with one
modification. The one modification that CPSC is proposing to the ASTM full-size
crib standard would require cribs to be tested without the re-tightening of
screws between tests in order to ensure that the tests reflect the lifetime use
of the crib; and
2.
a
standard for non-full-size cribs that is substantially the same as ASTM F
406-10, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Non-Full-Size Baby Cribs/Play
Yards, with certain modifications. These modifications include adding certain
requirements that apply to full-size cribs, such as the mattress support
performance requirement, the side-impact test, and the order in which
performance tests are to be done, applicable to non-full-size cribs so that the
new standard for non-full-size cribs is more stringent. The proposal also would
restore movable side latch tests to the non-full-size crib standard and would
clarify that the proposal does not extend to play yards.
Improved consensus standards were
approved June 1, 2010 through close collaboration with ASTM International,
consumer groups, industry and other juvenile product experts. These standards
incorporated key safety requirements recommended by CPSC staff. The ASTM
standards and the proposed CPSC standards contain design requirements that
essentially ban the up and down movement of an entire side of the crib. CPSC
staff is working to finalize the proposed mandatory crib standards in 2010.
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