U.S. CPSC Proposes 16 CFR 1234 Safety Standard for Infant Bath Tubs

Vol. 850 | 20 Aug 2015

 

As part of the rulemaking process required by Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is proposing a new federal regulation: 16 CFR 1234 Safety Standard for Infant Bath Tubs. The proposed rule is based on the existing ASTM standard, F2670 – 13 Standard Consumer Safety Specification Infant Bath Tubs, with some modifications.

An “Infant Bath Tub” is defined in the ASTM standard as “a tub, enclosure, or other similar product intended to hold water and be placed into an adult bath tub, sink, or on top of other surfaces to provide support or containment, or both, for an infant in a reclining, sitting, or standing position during bathing by a caregiver.”

Key safety issues addressed by the ASTM F2670-13 standard include:

• Passive Restraint requirements
• Suction cup performance requirements
• Requirements for toys attached to bath tubs
• Scissoring, shearing and pinching requirements
• Resistance to collapse during use

Modifications recommended by the CPSC to strengthen certain sections of the ASTM standard include:

• Minor changes to the latching and locking mechanism test process to address products with more complicated mechanisms
• The type of load used in the static load test
• Changes to the warnings and instructional literature sections to improve the efficacy of warnings and potentially reduce the number of incidents due to caregiver inattentiveness

The CPSC has proposed that the rule become effective 6 months after the publication of a final rule in the Federal Register. The CPSC is accepting comments on the proposed rule until October 28, 2015.

The Proposed Rule can be viewed at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-08-14/pdf/2015-19668.pdf

 

For questions, please contact

 

Laxmi Ravikumar (laxmi.ravikumar@intertek.com, +1-847-871-1056).