CPSC Adult Bedrails Decision Likely on Pause another Year

Ongoing work at ASTM on a standard to address adult portable bedrails means a parallel but deferred project at CPSC could wait until after the end of fiscal 2017. The year began October 1. A petition in 2013 had sought a ban or mandatory rule for the products, but work by the ASTM F15.70 panel led the commission to vote to await that project.

Most of the recent work has involved dealing with negative votes from an August ballot, and another round is slated for December. Thus it a new voluntary standard is unlikely until at least sometime in 2017.

Involved CPSC staffers told commissioners they either will write an update memo in a year – earlier if ASTM is done before then. Their recent memo is at bit.ly/2dRBhhI.

In any event, any potential CPSC rule would occur long after fall 2017. New or updated voluntary standards typically cause agency staff to take a wait-and-observe stance regarding effectiveness. Less often, their dissatisfaction can lead to their urging a rulemaking earlier. Even then, that move often prompts a standards development organization to revisit its requirements, normally pausing the rulemaking.