Northbrook, IL – Underwriters Laboratories (UL) now provides testing to California’s new Open-Flame Mattress Standard, TB 603. TB 603 was developed by the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation to decrease the number of fire deaths in the home. It requires mattresses sold in the state to meet specific flammability requirements. The Standard becomes law in January 2004, giving mattress manufacturers until January 2005 to comply before the law will be enforced. UL is one of only six testing laboratories in the country capable of conducting fire testing for the TB 603 standard.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, residential mattress fires represent one of the greatest causes of fire deaths in homes in the United States. Small open-flame ignition sources, many of which involve children playing with matches and cigarette lighters, cause about one-fifth of those fires. Data also indicates that annual fire losses in the United States associated with mattress and bedding products total 510 deaths, 2,290 injuries and $280.4 million dollars in property damage.
Prior to the establishment of TB 603, bedding flammability laws in the United States only addressed the smolder resistance of mattresses, futons and mattress pads, but not their open-flame resistance. TB 603 applies to all mattresses and box springs, including futons, hybrid flotation and airbed ensembles, sofa sleepers, cribs, bunk beds, roll-a-way and hide-a-beds.
