U.S. – CPSC Proposes 16 CFR 1238 Safety Standard for Stationary Activity Centers

Vol. 1030 | 28 Jun 2018

As part of the rulemaking process required by Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is proposing a new federal regulation 16 CFR 1238 Safety Standard for Stationary Activity Centers.

The rule proposes to adopt the existing ASTM standard, F2012 - 18 ε1 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Stationary Activity Centers, updated through May 2018, without any changes.

A “Stationary Activity Center,” as described within the scope of the ASTM F2012 - 18 ε1 standard, is “a freestanding product intended to remain stationary that enables a sitting or standing occupant whose torso is completely surrounded by the product to walk, rock, play, spin or bounce, or all of these, within a limited range of motion.”

Most common incidents associated with stationary activity centers, based on the incident reports collected by the CPSC, are:

• Spring support issues due to springs twisting, breaking or other failures
• Toy accessory related issues with the accessories forcefully striking the child, posing laceration, pinch or choking hazards to the occupant
• Support strap issues involving torn, frayed, twisted or detached straps
• Structural integrity issues as a result of lock failures, frame failures due to bending, separation or other damage, fastener failures and nuts, screws and bolts loosening and falling out

The CPSC has concluded that the ASTM F2012 - 18 ε1 standard adequately addresses the general requirements such as sharp points, sharp edges, locking and latching mechanisms, scissoring, shearing and pinching, marking and labeling, instructional literature, etc., as well as specific performance requirements for stationary activity centers including stability, motion resistance and structural integrity.

The CPSC has proposed that the rule become effective 6 months after the publication of a final rule in the Federal Register. Comments on the proposed rule can be submitted until September 4, 2018.

The Proposed Rule can be viewed at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-06-19/pdf/2018-13024.pdf

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