Mock bedding plant inspections check FR compliance
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, September 16, 2007
St. Charles, Ill. — Bedding producers concerned about how they would fare in an unannounced plant inspection by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission now have a way to gauge their level of compliance with the new federal mattress flammability law.
The Lilly Management Group, responding to requests from U.S. bedding producers for mock CPSC plant inspections and reviews of their flame-retardant compliance programs, has created a new confidential inspection program.
Called the FR/PRO Audit Program, it is based on the same systems and procedures used in LMG's prototyping program, which officials of the firm said has helped hundreds of bedding producers with FR compliance.
"Our original prototyping program was designed to help mattress producers understand and meet the new federal flammability standard efficiently and cost-effectively," said Bob Sabalaskey, LMG's vice president of manufacturing and product engineering. "The FR/PRO Audit Program is the final step toward complete compliance in that it provides mattress manufacturers with a private yet 'real world' inspection experience and the opportunity to assess their FR compliance readiness, either in preparation for, or following, a CPSC inspection."
CPSC has said that as part of its enforcement of the new federal FR mattress standard, which took effect July 1, it will inspect some bedding producers for compliance. And some producers won't be pleased with the result of those inspections, according to LMG officials.
"The fact is, not every manufacturer is going to pass a real CPSC inspection," Sabalaskey said. "This program is intended to help companies evaluate their compliance status, identify 'holes' in their program and quickly resolve those issues, so they can return to the business of growing their business."
LMG officials say the new audit program covers every aspect of the new federal regulation, including record- keeping and documentation procedures. The audits can be prearranged or unannounced, and will be conducted in a single working day. Oriented toward problem-solving and on-the-spot guidance, the new audit program reviews how the bedding producers are handling the key components of the new FR program.
Manufacturers also may request additional services, including random or custom product testing, test monitoring or manufacturing training.
According to LMG, compliance with the new federal standard isn't only about knowing the regulation and initially adapting a factory operation. It's also about a manufacturer's ability to identify and resolve a compliance problem when it surfaces.
"Getting back to 'business as usual' and returning to some of the real drivers of business growth — like marketing or lean manufacturing — is much easier when compliance becomes 'routine' and is achieved on an ongoing basis," Sabalaskey said.
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