ASTM Panel Looks at Fine Details of ASTM Baby Tub Revisions

An ASTM F15.20 panel March 14 put final touches on updates regarding accessories in infant bathtubs. Although much of the work involved minor wordsmithing, members did briefly discuss the possibility of preliminary testing of tests to shake out any potential problems before the work gets reviewed at April subcommittee meetings. They also gave extra attention to a few other substantive issues.

One involved confusion with a section on failures related to items' disassembly and deformation under stress. This included questions of whether the section was meant to apply to elements intended to be disassembled (like for cleaning) or only to other components that might be able to disengage but are not designed for disassembly. The issues remained unresolved as the writers were not in attendance.

Another lengthy discussion involved the noun seam and concern that its definition implied it is a verb. This suggestion involved the use of the noun means (as in method) as somehow causing that confusion. A simple stopgap of removing "n" after the word did not progress, and the group likely will kick the matter to the ad hoc language panel. There also were ideas to replace means with words like place or line.

ASTM in January (PSL, 1/16/17) issued an update to the standard (F2670, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Infant Bath Tubs), and that version is the target of a draft Section 104 rulemaking (see related story). However work on revisions continues at ASTM. Recent, substantive activity (PSL, 1/16/17) involved whether to require warnings in exact language or to give direction to "address" concerns.