The California Bureau of Electronics & Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings & Thermal Insulation, which regulates mattress safety in California, has issued a new document, “Senate Bill (SB) 1019 Frequently Asked Questions, which reiterates that mattresses are not subject to the state’s new fire-retardant chemicals labeling requirements for furniture, enacted this year in SB 1019.
The law requires that articles of furniture that must meet Technical Bulletin 17–2013 be labeled, if they contain certain fire retardants. TB 117-2013 is an updated state flammability standard for upholstered furniture sold in California.
The FAQ makes clear that mattresses do not need to be labeled under SB 1019. Specifically, in response to question No. 2, which asks whether the “flame retardant chemical statement” requirement in the law applies to mattresses or mattress pads, the bureau says the law:
Specifically applies to ‘covered products,’ which means any flexible polyurethane foam or upholstered or reupholstered furniture sold in California that is required to meet the test requirements set forth in Technical Bulletin 117-2013, entitled ‘Requirements, Test Procedure and Apparatus for Testing the Smolder Resistance of Materials Used in Upholstered Furniture.’ Mattresses and mattress sets are not required to meet the TB117-2013 flammability requirement.
As a result, the labeling rules set by the SB 1019 do not apply to mattresses.
The FAQ also notes that with regard to mattress pads, the question of whether the law applies will depend on whether the pad contains a cover or not. Unlike a pad that has a cover, the bureau states that a foam topper comprised of polyurethane foam with no cover:
Must contain a compliant TB117-2013 flammability label that will include the ‘flame retardant chemical statement.’
