UNITED STATES – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the safety standard for Baby Changing Products.
Definitions
- A changing table is “an elevated, freestanding structure generally designed to support and retain a child with a body weight of up to 30 lb. (13.6 kg) in a horizontal position for the purpose of allowing a caregiver to change the child’s diaper. Changing tables may convert from or to other items of furniture, such as, but not limited to, a dresser, desk, hutch, bookshelf, or play yard, may have pull-out or drop-down changing surfaces, and may provide storage for diapers and diaper products.”
- A changing pad is “a flat or contoured pad designed for use on an elevated surface which incorporates barriers to prevent a child from rolling off the changing surface.”
- An add-on changing unit is “a rigid addition to or separate product used in conjunction with an item of furniture that provides a changing surface or barriers, or both, to prevent the infant from rolling off the product when a diaper is being changed.”
Age/Weight/Developmental Range
- Children up to 30 lb. (13.6 kg)
Regulation Number
- 16 CFR 1236
Public Comment Period
- 75 days after date of publication in the federal register
Proposed Effective Date
- 6 Months from publication of the final rule in the federal register
- Products manufactured on or after the effective date must meet the new standard
Standard Referenced
- ASTM F2388-16, Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Baby Changing Tables for Domestic Use
- With more stringent requirements for structural integrity, restraint system integrity, and warnings on labels and in instructional literature
Hazards Addressed
- General safety requirements: sharp points and edges, small parts, lead paint, wood parts, openings, toy accessories, protective components, locking and latching mechanisms, scissoring, shearing and pinching, marking and labeling, instructional literature, etc.
- Structural integrity
- Stability
- Barriers
- Retention of contoured changing pads and add-on changing units
- Entrapment in enclosed openings
- Entrapment by shelves
Why It Matters
- The CPSC received 182 reports of incidents related to baby changing products between 2005 and 2015, including 5 deaths and at least 30 injuries
- There were an estimated 31,780 injuries related to baby changing products between 2005 and 2014, according to NEISS
- If approved, this rule will make it illegal to sell products in the U.S. that do not meet the regulation.
How UL Can Help
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