New Specification for Residential Seating Designed to Recline with a Foot Support Lift Mechanism
1. Scope
a. This safety specification is intended to minimize the injuries and deaths to children resulting from entrapment in the gap created by the operation of the foot support lift mechanism of residential seating typically designed to recline.
b. The foot support lift mechanism for seating covered by this standard can be either motorized or manually operated.
c. This safety specification does not cover lift chairs, nursery gliders or rockers, massage chairs, murphy beds, sofa beds, zero gravity chairs, chairs that lean back independently with or without a footstool or leg rest, chairs with adjustable bases to adjust height, commercial seating designed to recline, i.e., movie theaters, airplanes, or motor vehicles, or seating designed to recline intended for hospitality and healthcare.
d. This safety specification is intended to address hazards to children up to 72 months.
ii. Note 1 – ‘the affected age group is defined by the incident data provided to the ASTM F15.42 Furniture Safety Subcommittee by CPSC for the period 01/01/2011 to 12/31/2021 including 8 fatalities, which involve children between 8 to 60 months.’
Keywords
recliner, furniture, seating, chair
Rationale
The standard is being developed in response to a request from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to create performance requirements to address reported entrapment incidents.
