CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND RETAIL E-SSENTIALS

USA Proposed amendment to remove requirements of Technical Bulletin 133

july 2018- Relevant for: hardlines, softlines

The California Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (BEARHFTI) has announced recently a proposed change to the flammability regulations to remove requirements of flammability test and labelling according to Technical Bulletin 133 on upholstered furniture used in publicly-occupied buildings. This change, if approved, will affect the Sections 1374 and 1374.3 of the California Code of Regulations.

Existing regulations require that filling materials in upholstered furniture used in public-occupied buildings must comply with the California’s upholstered furniture flammability standard, Technical Bulletin (TB) 117-2013. TB 133 is also a recognized fire-retardant flammability test standard for upholstered furniture used in publicly-occupied buildings. This proposal would eliminate the TB 133 test standard and accompanying label requirements because TB 133 is a redundant test standard that causes confusion within the industry and presents unnecessary health risks. Therefore, the Bureau (BEARHFTI) is proposing the following amendments:

Amend section 1374:
The proposed amendment to this section removes the reference to TB 133 and its requirements that all upholstered seating furniture sold for use in publicly occupied buildings shall meet the flammability test requirements set forth in TB133.

Amend Section 1374.3:
The proposed amendment to this section removes the requirement to have labels on upholstered seating furniture that state the product meets TB 133 flammability requirements.

This amendment is needed to remove the reliance on the outdated TB 133 standard for furniture in public occupancies, to remove the TB 133 label requirement on furniture in public-occupied buildings and to align the remaining portions of this section to accurately reflect this change.

Any interested person may present statements or arguments relevant to the action proposed, orally or in writing, at the hearing. Written comments must be received by the Bureau not later than 5:00 p.m. on 17 September 2018.

[1] Notice of proposed changes

[2] Proposed language of the regulation

[3] Initial statement of reason