Furniture Safety
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.as amended 1989 and 1993
It is the responsibility of the following persons who supply furniture, furnishings or re-upholstery services.
- Manufacturers
- Importers
- Wholesalers
- Retailers
- Persons who hire out
- Second-hand suppliers
- Re-upholsterers.
to ensure that the goods they place on sale in the UK are safe and comply with the above regulations.
Labels
All new furniture must be tested and carry the appropriate label at point of sale. It is the retailer’s responsibility to ensure that the furniture carries the correct label. This includes single items as well as all individual parts of a suite of furniture.
All labelling must be in a prominent position that is available to anyone wishing to inspect it.
It is primarily the responsibility of the supplier (manufacturer or importer) to ensure that the label gives the correct information, but
Retailers are also under a duty to ensure that the permanent label is on the goods when they supply them to their customers
Labels must be securely attached to the furniture (i.e. cannot be removed without causing damage to the label or product). The label may appear anywhere on the external surface of the article. This includes the area covered by removable cushions.
Second-hand Furniture
Second-hand furniture Is caught within this Act. The labels should be displayed to show that the goods comply. If there is a label which appears to be in a tatty state, under no circumstance must it be removed. If no label can be found or no sign that a label had ever been present, then the furniture should be discarded and not sold at all.
Tests Certificates
Importers and Manufacturers of new furniture have to make available the appropriate test certificates relevant to the products supplied within their business. The Test must be conducted by an authorised test house for the certificate to be valid.
The main tests that are carried out are the cigarette test and the match test. All authorised test houses will be able to test these aspects and supply the authorised certificates. Certificates from any other source will not be valid. The tests relate to both the cover fabric, the Inter-liner (if required) and the filling material (foam).So certificates must cover all aspects of the material used.
Hackney Trading Standards officers have powers to inspect products and related documents. The information that should be readily available for inspection concerns
- The name and address of the supplier (importer manufacturer)
- The date on which the article was manufactured or imported
- The description of all the filling materials
- The description of all the covering materials
Retailers should ensure that their suppliers are able to provide such information if requested.
This advice explains certain requirements in general terms, but does not cover all the details. You should refer to the Regulations themselves for the full detailed requirement.
For any further information please contact Hackney Trading Standards on 020 83564929
Page updated: 28 Feb 2007