Consumer Agency Plans To Pursue Furniture Flammability Standard

By James A. Morrissey, Washington Correspondent

Much to the consternation of the upholstered furniture industry, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced plans to pursue an upholstered furniture flammability standard that the agency says will contribute to safety without relying on the use of fire-retardant chemicals. Although CPSC has been considering an upholstered furniture flammability standard since at least 1995, and a variety of proposals have been floated, the move caught fabric and furniture manufacturers by surprise.

In announcing plans to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Acting Commission Chairman Nancy Nord said: “Fires involving upholstered furniture are a leading cause of fire-related deaths in US homes. Stopping a furniture fire in its tracks or slowing the spread would buy consumers precious time to get out of their homes.”

Noting that previous proposals have relied on the use of fire retardant chemicals, Nord said the new proposed standard will address furniture fires without having any adverse impact on environmental safety and health.

The CPSC announcement said that under the proposed new rule, manufacturers could meet the performance standard by using smolder-resistant cover fabrics or interior resistant barriers to protect the furniture’s internal filling material, such as foam, which is the primary fuel supporting an upholstered furniture fire. The commission apparently believes this can best be accomplished with “re-engineered” fabrics or layers of fabric that would prevent a fire from reaching the foam padding.

Although they have not yet had time to evaluate the proposal thoroughly or make any formal comments, upholstered fabric and furniture manufacturers and fire-fighting officials are confused and concerned. They wonder why the sudden emphasis on environmental considerations is the answer to the problem. They know that some re-engineering of fabric can help, and they have done some of that, but those changes have an impact on what the consumer wants in terms of style and performance. They also know enhanced fabric barriers can be used, but that would substantially increase the cost of furniture. They also point out that the proposal does not effectively address the problem of ignition by smoldering cigarettes — the overwhelming cause of upholstered furniture fires — or the role of foam in supporting a fire.

In voting to go forward with developing a new rule, CPSC Commissioner Thomas H. Moore said he believes information supporting the proposed rule “relies heavily on a number of yet unproved assumptions,” and he expressed the hope that “these assumptions can be validated during the work between now and the time the new rule is adopted.”

He concluded by saying, “I still have questions, still have some concerns and still have nagging doubts that this is the best solution achievable, but at least now we have one target to evaluate and a platform on which to build.”

February 12, 2008