Health Canada is preparing to open what it calls a “stakeholder consultation” process, during which interested parties may comment on whether Canada should set an open–flame standard for mattresses.
Canada has a cigarette–ignition standard and is considering whether to make mandatory an open–flame test published by Underwriters’ Laboratories of Canada (ULC–S137) that is closely patterned on the test method used in the United States under the 16 CFR Part 1633 standard.
The consultation process is expected to begin this summer. Once the process starts, parties will have approximately two months to submit comments.
In related news, Canada’s Parliament is considering improvements to the country’s consumer product safety laws. The proposed legislation would increase penalties for safety violations, set new requirements for recalls of unsafe products and impose new product–safety reporting obligations. For more information on the bill, the Canadian Consumer Product Safety Act (C–52), check www.parl.gc.ca/legisinfo.
Look for updates on the open–flame standard and the consumer product legislation in future issues of BedTimes magazine and in our weekly newsletter BedTimes Bulletin.
