CPSC Proposes Product Safety Standard for Infant Sling Carriers
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is proposing new product safety standards for infant sling carriers. The proposed rule would adopt without change the current ASTM International voluntary standard, ASTM F2907-14a, which is available for viewing during the comment period (here). Comments on the proposed rule are due Oct. 6.
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Proposed Definition
The ASTM standard CPSC is proposing to adopt defines “sling carrier” as “a product of fabric or sewn fabric construction, which is designed to contain a child in an upright or reclined position while being supported by the caregiver’s torso.” CPSC says sling carriers are intended for use from a child’s birth to a weight of about 35 pounds. Designs vary, but generally range from unstructured hammock-shaped products that suspend from the caregiver’s body, to long lengths of material or fabric that are wrapped around the caregiver’s body. They are usually worn with the infant positioned on the front, hip, or back of the consumer. The ability to carry the infant in a reclined position is the primary feature that distinguishes sling carriers from soft infant and toddler carriers, another subset of sling carriers, it said.
Extended Effective Date
Although CPSC usually makes child product safety standards effective 6 months from the publication date of the final rule, the agency says that in this case it will give manufacturers and importers 12 months to comply. That’s because a large number of small business could experience “significant economic impacts” complying with the rule. Also, the ASTM standard that CPSC is proposing to adopt is relatively new.
(Federal Register 07/23/14)