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1/28/2000
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
has issued a mandatory federal safety standard
for the manufacture of bunk beds. The new standard
is a response to approximately 10-deaths per year
caused by entrapment in both child and adult bunk
beds, and will go into effect in July 2000.
The mandatory standard is also a response to
a lack of conformance by some members to a voluntary
standard by some manufacturers published by the
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
in 1992.
Although the voluntary standard had requirements
concerning entrapment hazards, the new CPSC standards
are more stringent. Three factors make the CPSC
ruling more stringent:
- Continuous guard rail along the wall side
of the bunk
- Smaller spacing on the bottom bunk
- Required identification of manufacturer on
all bunk beds
The mandatory federal ruling will enable CPSC
to hold retailers and distributors accountable,
seek civil penalties of up to $1.5 million against
manufacturers for non-complying bunk beds, and
stop shipments of non-complying bunk beds made
by foreign manufacturers.
According to this ruling, all bunk beds manufactured
or imported for sale in the United States will
have to meet the following requirements by July
2000:
- Any bed in which the underside of the foundation
is over 30 inches from the floor must have guardrails
on both sides and the wall side guardrail must
be continuous.
- Openings in the upper bunk structure must
be small enough (less than 3.5 inches) to prevent
the passage of a child’s torso.
- Openings in the lower bunk end structures
must be small enough to prevent entry by a child’s
head or torso, or large enough to permit free
passage of both the child’s head and torso.
- The bed must have a label identifying the
manufacturer, distributor or seller, the model
number, and the date of manufacture.
- Warnings must be on a label affixed to the
bed and assembly instructions must accompany
the bed. The label warns not to place children
under 6 years old on the upper bunk and specifies
mattress size.
Additional information on the CPSC ruling can
be obtained by contacting the CPSC’s consumer
hotline at 800-638-2772, or through the CPSC
Web site.
Due to the danger of improperly supported mattresses
falling on persons under the top bunk, the CPSC
further recommends side-to-side mattress supports.
Consumers that currently have bunk beds with mattress
or foundations that rely on side rail ledges as
the only means of support, may write to:
Bunk Bed Kit
P.O. Box 2436
High Point, NC 27261
and ask for a free cross wire support kit.
Camps purchasing beds in 2000 should be aware
of these requirements and take care to only purchase
beds that meet the CPSC standard. While the rule
affects the manufacture and sale of bunk beds
after July 1, 2000, consideration should be given
to whether current non-conforming beds can be
safely modified to meet this standard as funds
and appropriately manufactured retro-fits become
available.
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