Furniture World News By Nic Ledoux on 5/13/2021
UFAC, the Upholstered Furniture Action Council, announced that it has revamped its long-standing furniture flammability testing and verification program to better support its member companies’ new legal obligations and compliance efforts under the new federal law going into effect on June 25, 2021. The COVID-19 Regulatory Relief and Work from Home Safety Act, sometimes known as SOFFA (the Safer Occupancy Furniture Flammability Act), has formalized a national furniture flammability requirement for the first time, an effort long-supported by UFAC.
UFAC’s component testing program has served as the backbone for the industry’s voluntary furniture flammability testing since 1979. UFAC’s updated program has received a modern revamp and brand-new user-friendly compliance portal in time to help furniture manufacturers comply with upcoming regulatory changes.
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WASHINGTON - The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a final rule to codify the statutory requirements for the national furniture flammability standard.
The Safer Occupancy Furniture Flammability Act (SOFFA), passed by congress last December under the COVID-19 Regulatory Relief and Work from Home Safety Act, instructed the CPSC to establish a national flammability standard.
It specifically forced the adoption of California s TB 117-2013 as the federal standard. California enacted SOFFA in 2013. Its corresponding technical bulletin calls for using a smolder test instead of an open flame test to determine the fire safety of upholstered furniture and other consumer products.
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Photo By National Institute of Standards and Technology
The Safer Occupancy Furniture Flammability Act (SOFFA), passed by congress last December under the COVID-19 Regulatory Relief and Work from Home Safety Act, instructed the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a national flammability standard.
It specifically forces the adoption of California s TB 117-2013 as the federal standard. California enacted SOFFA in 2013. Its corresponding technical bulletin calls for using a smolder test instead of an open flame test to determine the fire safety of upholstered furniture and other consumer products.
All residential upholstered furniture sold in the United States must comply with the flammability tests for covered components specified in TB 117-2013 beginning June 25, 2021. Items must also feature a permanent label with the statement “Complies with U.S. CPSC requirements for upholstered furniture flammability by June 25.
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The video above is of a time-lapsed smolder test conducted by NIST on an upholstered chair.
WASHINGTON – Congress passed the COVID-19 Regulatory Relief and Work from Home Safety Act, which incorporates the Safer Occupancy Furniture Flammability Act (SOFFA) supported by several industry groups including the American Home Furnishings Alliance and Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association.
The new law instructs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish conformance with California TB-117-2013 as a national standard in the United States. California enacted SOFFA in 2013. Its corresponding technical bulletin calls for using a smolder test instead of an open flame test to determine the fire safety of upholstered furniture and other consumer products.