Fire Service Scores Partial Victory on Children’s Sleepwear

CPSC Directed by Congress to Review Standard

Fire service groups emerged with a partial victory in their campaign against the decision of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to exempt children’s sleepwear from flammability standards.

Attached to VA, HUD, Independent Agencies Appropriations bill, a compromise was reached in late October during conference committee negotiations on the Children’s Sleepwear Safety Act. Congress recognizes the importance of this safety issue to the fire and EMS community and has allowed those involved to continue to seek a solution to this issue.

As part of the final conference report, Congress has directed CPSC to propose for public comment a revocation of the amendments to the standards for flammability of children’s sleepwear. Congress has also instructed the General Accounting Office (GAO) to review data relating to burns from the ignition of children’s sleepwear from small open flames from July 1, 1997 through January 1, 1999 and report their findings by April 1, 1999. Based on the GAO findings and other information available to the Commission, CPSC must decide by no later than July 1, 1999, whether to revoke, maintain, or modify the amendments issued on September 1996 regarding children’s sleepwear flammability.

In 1972, CPSC implemented its first fire safety standard for children’s sleepwear under the Flammable Fabrics Act. By 1975, it was mandatory that all children’s sleepwear sizes 0-14 be flame retardant. In 1996 CPSC voted to reverse this standard to permit the sale of untreated sleepwear for infants nine months and younger, and tight fitting cotton sleepwear for older children. As part of the new cotton standard, manufacturers were required to launch an extensive educational campaign for consumers, change the sizing requirements for tight-fitting garments, and use cautionary hang tags and neck labels to identify flame retardant sleepwear.

"The apparel industry has been dragging their feet with no industry wide educational campaigns forthcoming during the past two years. They have asked for an extension on resizing sleepwear until 1999, and to date have failed to provide identifying hang tags. I don’t think we should wait for children to burn or get injured before we decide to go back to a 25 year old proven standard," said Anthony O’Neill, Chairman of the CFSI National Advisory Committee.

Congressional Fire Services Caucus Chairman Representative Robert Andrews (NJ), Senator William Roth (DE) and Representative Rosa Delauro (NJ) are commended for their leadership and effort on this issue.

Please show your support for fire safety regulations by providing comments to the CPSC on this issue. Urge them to revoke the 1996 Amendments to the standards for flammability of children’s sleepwear and restore the original 1972 standard. Comments should be directed to: Sadye Dunn, Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland 20207.