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US: CPSC updated safety standard for full-size baby cribs

JULY 2019- Relevant for: Toys and children's products

On 23 July 2019, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published a Notice of direct final rule¹ updating the safety standard for full-size baby cribs to ASTM F1169-19² without modification in Federal Register. The rule will be effective from 28 October 2019 if no significant adverse comment received by 22 August 2019.

The changes to ASTM F1169-19 does not have significant impact on the way that third party conformity assessment bodies test full-size (FS) cribs for compliance with the safety standard. Therefore, CPSC accepts the laboratories with current accreditations to apply the new standard directly for testing when the rule takes effect.

ASTM F1169 defines a FS crib as a bed that is designed to provide sleeping accommodations for an infant that is intended for use in the home and is within a range of ±2 in. (±5.1 cm) of the interior length or width dimensions specified for FS cribs in the standard.

Comparing to previous version, ASTM F1169-19 mainly revised the warning requirements to require that all warning labels must be affixed to the product and not merely referenced in a manual or instructions. The on-product warning would stay with the product and keep available to multiple users. This change improves the safety of FS cribs and the Commission decided to update the mandatory standard to the new standard by replacing ASTM F1169-13.

For non-full-size baby cribs, the mandatory standard was published in 16 CFR 1220 which incorporated by reference ASTM F406-17, except for those provisions relating only to play yards. Though play yards are sharing the same ASTM standard as non-full-size cribs, they are covered under a separate mandatory rule 16 CFR 1221.

[1] 16 CFR Part 1219

[2] ASTM F1169-19