CPSC chief: We'll act fast on FR regs
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, May 26, 2003
Greensboro, N.C. — The chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said his agency will act "as quickly as possible" to resolve a legal issue that could prevent California from moving ahead with tough new mattress flammability regulations.
Hal Stratton also said he hopes the CPSC will establish a national standard on mattress flammability next year. National regulations would supersede any state standards.
Stratton, who was here to address the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn. board of directors, said in an interview with Furniture/Today that a CPSC spokesman "shouldn't have said" a few weeks ago the agency could take as long as two years to decide on the California issue.
"I hope that estimate is way too long," he said.
California regulators are scheduled to implement a flammability standard on Jan. 1. The state would have to seek a "pre-emption from exemption" to let it adopt such a standard while the CPSC is considering the same issue.
Stratton did not commit to a timetable on resolving the pre-emption issue by Jan. 1, but said his goal is to resolve it as soon as possible according to the regulations.
Stratton also said that CPSC has "no bias against exemption" for California. To his knowledge, this is the first such exemption issue for the commission.
In February, California regulators proposed a tough one-hour burn test for mattresses. They plan to finalize their standards sometime this fall. Bedding manufacturers say that making product to meet the proposed standards could add $100 or more to the retail cost of a set of bedding.
Reaction to the California proposals has been mixed in the bedding industry. Some producers say they need more time to meet the standards, while suppliers of fire-resistant materials have said they are ready to move ahead.
Stratton, meanwhile, said he hopes the CPSC can come up with a national standard on mattress flammability by next year.
"I would hope we could have a standard promulgated by 2004," he said. That would be a big step toward implementing a standard.
Briefing packages outlining options on regulating mattress and bedclothes flammability should be ready for CPSC commissioners this fall, Stratton said. He is one of three commissioners.
