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Bunkbeds meet standards in style

By Sheila Long O'Mara -- Furniture Today, December 23, 2001

HIGH POINT — Two years have passed since the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission issued its final rule governing safety standards for bunk beds, and most manufacturers have adapted well to the regulations.

The standard, passed in December 1999, went into effect in June 2000.

A significant portion of the standard involving strangulation hazards followed voluntary standards that the American Society for Testing and Materials first issued in 1979 and modified periodically. The majority of the industry was already following those standards.

John Tate, president of Barn Door Furniture Co., said his company stayed up-to-date as the standard was being created, and to some extent, was fortunate to have the bunks compliant prior to the implementation of the rule.

"Companies who were compliant with the (ASTM) voluntary standards didn't have a lot to change to be compliant with the mandatory standards," Tate said.

I.D. Kids consistently takes its bunk and loft bed designs to an independent testing lab in Detroit to ensure they meet all of the CPSC safety standards. Donna Niemerg, director of marketing, said the beds "pass with flying colors."

John Vogel, sales and marketing manager for Vermont Tubbs, encourages retail accounts and consumers to vigorously shake beds to make sure it doesn't move prior to placing orders or purchasing, in addition to checking to be sure the design meets all of the CPSC mandatory standards.

Under the CPSC standard, it is illegal to manufacture, sell, distribute or import bunks that do not meet the regulations, which means both manufacturers and retailers can be held liable for infractions. The CPSC can seek a civil penalty not to exceed $7,000 for each violation up to a maximum of $1.65 million for a related series of violations.

The Inspirations loft bed from Stanley features under-bed storage and retails at $999.

The Ontario loft bed from Powell Co. includes storage drawers and correct rails retails from $799 to $899.

Scaled to fit and 8-by-10-foot room, the Compact loft from Barn Door Furniture sleeps three and offers drawer space for clothing. The loft retails at $999.

A strong seller for Palliser, this twin-over-double loft with desk retails at $699.

I.D. Kids' loft bed with study desk underneath meets the CPSC safety rules for bunks. The set, which retails at $2,200, is labeled, has redesigned guardrails and no post finials that could be a strangulation hazard.

ABCs of bunkbed standards

Here's a refresher of the bunk standards that were passed two years ago for all bunks, including imports, sold in the United States:

Each bunk with an underside of 30 inches off the floor must have guard rails on both sides and a continuous rail on the wall side.
Openings in the upper bunk structure must be less than 3½ inches to keep a child's body or head from slipping through.
Openings in the lower bunk structure must be small enough to prevent entry of a child's body or head, or large enough to allow the child's head and body to pass all the way through.
A label must identify the manufacturer, distributor or seller and give the model number and date of manufacture.
A warning label, accompanied by instructions, must tell users not to place children under age 6 in the beds and must specify what size of mattress should be used.

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