U.S. CPSC Approves 16 CFR 1229 Safety Standard for Infant Bouncer Seats

Vol. 989 | 20 Sep 2017

As part of the rulemaking process required by the Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently voted 3-2 to approve the new rule 16 CFR 1229 Safety Standard for Infant Bouncer Seats. The new rule incorporates by reference the current ASTM standard, F2167-17 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Infant Bouncer Seats, with two modifications to the content and placement of the warning labels.

An “Infant Bouncer Seat” as defined in the ASTM standard is “a freestanding product intended to support an occupant in a reclined position to facilitate bouncing by the occupant, with the aid of a caregiver or by other means.” The standard also clarifies the use for the product to be for ages 0-6 months, with the developmental milestone as when a child can sit up unassisted.

The current ASTM F2167-17 standard improves stability requirements to address tip-overs and battery compartment requirements to address corrosion, overheating and battery leakage, while continuing to address:

• Restraint performance requirements
• Static and dynamic slip resistance
• Structural integrity under static and dynamic loads
• Drop test

To improve the effectiveness of the warning labels on bouncers and reduce the number of incidents, the CPSC modifications to the ASTM F2167-17 warning labels are:

• Modified text to require the use of restraints “...even if baby falls asleep.” for both the Fall Hazard and Suffocation Hazard warnings
• Revisions to section 7.11.3.1 to improve visibility of the warnings with the dummy in the product by requiring the labels to be completely visible above an imaginary horizontal line that crosses through the junctions of under arm and side of the torso armpits on both left and right and not obscured by any part of the dummy

The approved rule becomes effective on March 19, 2018, six months after the publication of the final rule in the Federal Register. The infant bouncer seats manufactured on and after the effective date shall comply with 16 CFR 1229, and be certified per 16 CFR 1110 based on testing at a CPSC-accepted third-party lab.

The final rule can be viewed at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-09-18/pdf/2017-19255.pdf

For questions, please contact Laxmi Ravikumar (laxmi.ravikumar@intertek.com, +1-630-209-9265).