CPSC Proposes New Safety Standard for Crib Mattresses
The Consumer Product Safety Commission on Oct. 26 published a proposed new children’s product safety standard for crib mattresses. The proposed standard, which would cover both full-size and non-full-size crib mattresses, as well as aftermarket mattresses for play yards and non-full-size cribs, would apply the latest ASTM voluntary industry standard, with some changes to make it more stringent, CPSC said.
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The proposal says full-size crib mattresses are typically sold separately from the crib where they are intended to be used, and are also known as “standard” crib mattresses. Full-size crib mattresses are “at least 27 1/4 in. wide and 51 5/8 in. long. The interior dimensions of full-size cribs are 28 ± 5/8 in. (710 ± 16 mm) wide and 52 3/8 ± 5/8 in. (1330 ± 16 mm) long,” CPSC said the proposal.
Non-full size crib mattresses differ in dimension or shape from standard full-size cribs, and are covered by the proposed safety standard “regardless of whether they are sold separately (after-market), or are sold with a non-full-size crib,” the proposal said. “Because non-full-size cribs do not come in a standard size, non-full-size crib mattresses do not have defined dimensions.”
The proposal also covers after-market mattresses “sold separately from a play yard,” and “not sold by the OEM as a replacement mattress for their product.” The proposed standard would require that they “meet the same specifications and performance requirements for OEM play yard mattresses,” it said. “Additionally, the NPR would require that after-market mattresses intended for use in the bassinet of a play yard with a bassinet attachment must also meet the specifications in ASTM F2194, Consumer Safety Specifications for Bassinets and Cradles.”
The proposal would incorporate the latest industry voluntary standard, ASTM F2933-19, with some modifications to address suffocation hazards due to overly soft mattresses, entrapment hazards resulting from poor mattress fit, and laceration hazards associated with coils and springs breaking. It would also improve labeling and instructional literature to address the risks of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation related to infant positioning, the proposal said.
CPSC is proposing that any final rule resulting from the proposal take effect six months from publication. “Barring evidence to the contrary, 6 months is typically sufficient time for suppliers to come into compliance with a new standard,” it said. Comments are due Jan. 11, 2021.