U.S. CPSC Approves 16 CFR 1230 Safety Standard for Frame Child Carriers

Vol. 817 | 04 Mar 2015

As part of the rulemaking process required by Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recently voted to approve the new federal mandatory standard 16 CFR 1230 Safety Standard for Frame Child Carriers^[1].

The final rule is based on the standard ASTM F2549–14a Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Frame Child Carriers, with no modification to the requirements in F2549-14a standard. A frame child carrier is defined in the ASTM standard as:

“A product, normally of sewn fabric construction on a tubular metal or other frame, which is designed to carry a child, in an upright position, on the back of the caregiver.”

Following the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by the CPSC, the ASTM F2549–14a standard includes clear criteria to provide pass/fail results for the carrier’s restraints when evaluated to the retention system performance test.

Additional key safety issues addressed by the ASTM F2549-14a include:

• Structural integrity
• Stability
• Leg opening requirements

This final rule, 16 CFR 1230, becomes effective on September 2, 2016. Frame child carriers manufactured on and after this date will require certification to this rule, 16 CFR 1230, based on testing at a CPSC accepted third party testing laboratory.

 

^[1]http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-03-02/pdf/2015-03717.pdf

For questions, please contact Laxmi Ravikumar (laxmi.ravikumar@intertek.com, 630-209-9265).