Furniture: flammability standards.

Existing law, the Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation Act, requires all mattresses and box springs manufactured for sale in this state to be fire retardant, as defined to meet the federal standards for resistance to open-flame test, and authorizes the Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation to adopt regulations to implement those standards. The act requires other bedding products to comply with regulations adopted by the bureau specifying that those products be resistant to open-flame ignition, requires all seating furniture to be fire retardant and labeled as specified, and, except as specified, requires all flexible polyurethane foam offered for retail sale to be fire retardant. The bureau has adopted, by regulation, a flame retardance test of the filling materials of residential upholstered furniture. This bill would require the bureau, on or before March 1, 2013, to modify the requirements applicable to that flame retardance test regarding residential upholstered furniture to include a smolder flammability test to provide an alternative method of compliance that can be met without the use of fire retardants and does not compromise public safety. Existing law authorizes the chief of the bureau to exempt items of upholstered furniture which are deemed not to pose a serious fire hazard from the fire retardant requirements. This bill would also authorize the chief to provide for a similar exemption for polyurethane foam.