ASTM Subcommittee F33.05 on Furnishings and Equipment seeks stakeholders to develop the draft standard, Test Methods for Steel Bunks Used in Detention and Correctional Facilities.

A subcommittee task group has completed a first draft of the proposed standard under the jurisdiction of Committee F33 on Detention and Correctional Facilities.

Manufacturers of bunks and furniture for detention facilities, designers, engineers, and other stakeholders, are invited to provide comments.

The proposed standard will upgrade minimum requirements for detention-center bunks that parallel criteria required by the federal government, according to Phil Hammar, a structural engineer and manufacturing manager for Chief Industries, Inc., Grand Island, Neb.

The task group includes five test methods in the draft that assess the safety of steel bunks for detention areas. The methods can aid in identifying the appropriate level of physical security associated with various configurations of bunk design. They address:

• Impact from the bunk top,
• Application of a static force from the sides, in various directions, and
• Force applied from the bottom of the bunk.

The forces applied simulate foreseeable abuse from a maximum of three individuals.

To participate, contact Phil Hammar, Chief Industries, Inc., Custom Products Division, Grand Island, Neb. (phone: 308/389-7387). For ASTM meeting or membership details, contact Jim Olshefsky, manager, ASTM Technical Committee Operations (phone: 610/832-9714). //

Copyright 2002, ASTM