CPSC adopts ASTM F 2057-23 as the mandatory safety standard for the STURDY Act

Vol. 1346 | 20 Apr 2023

The U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission has taken further action to protect consumers from tip-over-related deaths and injuries associated with dressers, armoires, wardrobes, and other clothing storage units. Implementing recently passed legislation, the Commission voted to adopt the ASTM F2057-23 voluntary standard as a CPSC mandatory safety standard to protect young children from injury and death from furniture tip-over incidents.

STURDY, which stands for Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth, was signed into law in December 2022. CPSC examined and assessed the ASTM F2057-23 voluntary standard’s effectiveness as required by the law and determined that the standard meets STURDY’s requirements.

CPSC had previously approved a mandatory safety standard to address the risk of clothing storage unit tip-overs, 16 CFR 1261, which was due to take effect on May 24, 2023, but will now be replaced by the new mandatory ASTM standard.

As required by STURDY, the voluntary includes the following performance requirements to become a mandatory standard for protecting children up to 72 months old:

• Tests for stability when the unit is placed on carpeting,
• Tests for stability with loaded drawers and with multiple drawers open, and
• Tests that simulate the weight of children up to 60 pounds interacting with the unit.

If you have any questions, please contact Pankajkumar Sarda (pankajkumar.sarda@intertek.com) or Rob Burton (rob.burton@intertek.com).