The American Home Furnishings Alliance is seeking information from the industry to determine compliance levels with the voluntary ASTM furniture stability standard (F-2057-14).

The AHFA is asking for this information from non-member companies to present to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

A bill proposed by Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) called the Stop Tip-Overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) Act is in response to safety concerns resulting from fatal tip over incidents involving young children.

The act requires the CPSC to determine whether the voluntary standard adequately protects children from tip-over related incidents and also whether the industry adequately complies with the voluntary standard. If the CPSC determines the standard is not adequate and that it is not substantially complied with by manufacturers, the STURDY Act would require the CPSC to come up with a mandatory standard.

The AHFA said that its member companies comply with the standard but that this only represents roughly half the U.S. market. It is seeking information from non-member companies that produce clothing storage units to determine how many of them are complying with the standard.

(Source: Furniture Today  Author: Thomas Russell)