U.S. – CPSC Approves ASTM F2167-19 for Infant Bouncer Seats in Direct Final Rule

Vol. 1101 | 18 Sep 2019

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) has approved the new ASTM F2167-19 to be incorporated in the federal regulation: 16 CFR 1229 – Safety Standard for Infant Bouncer Seats.

An “infant bouncer seat” as defined by the ASTM F 2167 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. Intended occupants are infants who have not developed the ability to sit up unassisted (approximately 0 to 6 months of age)”.

Since promulgation of the federal rule for infant bouncer seats, the ASTM F2167-19 is the first revision to the standard. The changes to the ASTM F2167-19 standard include editorial corrections as well as revised requirements for content and visibility of on-product warnings, aligning with the stricter requirements set forth by the commission in the 16 CFR 1229.

A summary of the revisions to the warning requirements includes:

• Content of the fall hazard warnings and suffocation hazard warnings revised to clarify that restraint system should be used even when the child is asleep
• Revised visibility test for ensuring warnings required by the standard are conspicuous, permanent and visible to the caregiver even while the child is in the product

The revised ASTM F2167-19 standard becomes the mandatory Safety Standard for infant bouncer seats effective December 14, 2019, unless the CPSC receives any adverse comments by October 7, 2019.

The Final Rule can be reviewed at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-09-06/pdf/2019-19286.pdf

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