U.S. – CPSC Proposes 16 CFR 1241 Safety Standard for Crib Mattresses

Vol. 1206 | 16 Dec 2020

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 1241 Safety Standard for Crib Mattresses. The rule proposes to adopt the ASTM F2933 – 19, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Crib Mattresses with modifications.

The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) categorizes crib mattresses as products designed to be used with infant sleep products, such as full-size cribs, non-full-size cribs, bassinets and cradles, and play yards, to provide sleeping accommodations for an infant. As specified in the NPR, the proposed rule will cover:

• Full-size crib mattresses – intended to fit traditional full-size cribs and toddler beds with dimensions of at least 27 ¼ in. width and 51 5/8 in. length
• Non-full-size crib mattresses – intended for cribs that differ in dimension and shape from ‘standard’ rectangular ones
• After-market mattresses for play yards – replacement mattresses intended for play yards, sold separately from the play yard and not by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) mattresses

The CPSC’s notice of proposed rulemaking discusses the incident data and hazard patterns identified by the staff. Common product-related hazard patterns identified include chemical/ flammability hazards, softness, etc., but the identified hazard categories associated with fatalities are:

• Crib mattress use in play yard
• Face in mattress
• Child found prone
• Fit issues
• Cases of multiple contributing factors

ASTM F2933 is the voluntary industry standard addressing crib mattresses. The CPSC staff’s review of the current ASTM F2933-19 has deemed it to be insufficient in addressing the hazard patterns identified by the incident data and requirements for labeling while noting that the ASTM subcommittee is in the process of reviewing the standard to address these issues but have met with delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key modifications proposed by the NPR to the ASTM F2933 standard include:

• Adding a coil springs impact test ensuring there are no exposed coil springs after testing for 1000 cycles
• Adding a mattress firmness test modeled on the Australian/ New Zealand standard AS/ NZS 8811.1 to measure surface softness
• Modification of the mattress size measurement test to include a fitted sheet to better account for mattress compression by the fitted sheet
• Revisions to the non-full-size crib mattress measurements and requirements to include after-market mattresses
• Revised safety warning requirements and examples on product and in the instructional literature

Additionally, the CPSC is also proposing to amend the 16 CFR 1130 durable nursery products consumer registration requirements to include crib mattresses within the scope, and proposing to amend the 16 CFR 1112 certification requirements to also include such crib mattresses.

The rule is proposed to become effective 6 months after publication of the final rule in the Federal Register. Comments on the proposed rule can be submitted until January 11, 2021.

The proposed rule can be viewed at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-10-26/pdf/2020-22558.pdf

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