Release Date: March 11, 2015
Release Number: 16-118
WASHINGTON, D.C. –The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a new federal mandatory standard intended to improve the safety of portable hook-on chairs and prevent deaths and injuries to young children. The Commission voted unanimously in favor of the standard (5 to 0) on March 8, 2016.
A portable hook-on chair is a legless seat attached to a table where the occupant sits and that is supported solely by the table on which the chair is mounted. Portable hook-on chairs are intended for children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years and who weigh no more than 37 pounds.
The new federal standard incorporates by reference the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International (ASTM F1235-15), Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Portable Hook-On Chairs, without modification.
In addition, the new safety standard addresses hazards associated with portable hook-on chairs, including:
compromised attachment
restraint or containment issues
unintended release of seat fabric fastenings
seat fabric separation due to breaking or tearing components
broken structural components.
From January 1, 2000 through October 31, 2014, CPSC received about 90 incident reports related to portable hook-on chairs. These reports included 50 incidents involving injury, 38 non-injury incidents and one fatality.
The effective date for the new mandatory portable hook-on chair standard is 6 months after the final rule is published in the Federal Register.
The Commission is required by The Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), to issue consumer product safety standards for durable infant or toddler products. In the past six years, the Commission has approved new federal safety standards for durable infant or toddler products, including full-size cribs, non-full-size cribs, play yards, baby walkers, baby bath seats, children’s portable bed rails, strollers, toddler beds, infant swings, handheld infant carriers, soft infant carriers, framed infant carriers, bassinets and cradles.
