Sofa bed mattress clarification

[Guest Robin]

I have a sofa bed which I have tried to donate to charity, but they refused it because the mattress does not have a fire label.  The mattress is the original foam folding mattress, stored on the som'toile folding frame, under the seating.  The mattress is slab foam with a zip cover. 

The sofa unit has the permanent short form label "Carelessness Causes Fire" with a Batch Ref, sewn in under the removable cushions..  The label confirms it complies with the 1988 regs, and does not require a Schedule 3 interliner.  Also states covers and fillings are cigarette resistant.  Covers are match resistant.  All foams, filling and composites have been tested to ensure compliance with the relevant ignitability test. 

When I look at the FIRA guide for sofa beds in Appendix A1 for Group A it suggests to me that the permanent label on the main unit includes the mattress:

A1.1 Sofa-beds, futons and other convertibles The Regulations apply to all parts of convertible furniture designed to be used as seating furniture as well as a bed. Therefore the filling material and cover supplied with these items must meet all the requirements for domestic upholstered furniture.

Where the convertible furniture has a separate mattress, normally stored under the seating, the filling material of the mattress must satisfy the Regulations and the finished product should meet the low hazard category of BS 7177 – that is it must be cigarette and match resistant. All convertible furniture must carry the appropriate display and permanent labels for furniture.

Where a separate mattress is provided this should separately comply with the labelling requirements for mattresses and bed-bases detailed in the low hazard category of BS 7177.

 

The FIRA site also says in the technical section:

Permanent labels:

All new furniture, except mattresses and bed bases, must carry a permanent label......

 

I find this is all very confusing and ambiguous

Although the sofa bed is a number of years old it is in almost as new condition and too good not to reuse.

Your experienced advice would be much appreciated.

[Tom Sutton]

I am afraid this is for the lawyers, the problem is mattresses and bed bases are exempt from the regulations and any headboards are subject to the FFFSR. However the complete unit is subject to the GPSR and to comply with the GPSR it should comply with the low hazard category of BS 7177 and labelled accordingly.

In my opinion as this is not clear in law and would be up to the lawyers to fight it out in court, consequently the trading standards are reluctant to take it to court, this is why you will find confused labelling on beds. I think the best solution would be FFFSR labelling on the backboards and BS 7177 labeling on the mattress/bed base, but I wouldn't like to argue this in court. 

[raingurl]

On 25/01/2019 at 22:50, Guest Robin said:

I have a sofa bed which I have tried to donate to charity, but they refused it because the mattress does not have a fire label.  The mattress is the original foam folding mattress, stored on the som'toile folding frame, under the seating.  The mattress is slab foam with a zip cover. 

The sofa unit has the permanent short form label "Carelessness Causes Fire" with a Batch Ref, sewn in under the removable cushions..  The label confirms it complies with the 1988 regs, and does not require a Schedule 3 interliner.  Also states covers and fillings are cigarette resistant.  Covers are match resistant.  All foams, filling and composites have been tested to ensure compliance with the relevant ignitability test. 

When I look at the FIRA guide for sofa beds in Appendix A1 for Group A it suggests to me that the permanent label on the main unit includes the mattress:

A1.1 Sofa-beds, futons and other convertibles The Regulations apply to all parts of convertible furniture designed to be used as seating furniture as well as a bed. Therefore the filling material and cover supplied with these items must meet all the requirements for domestic upholstered furniture.

Where the convertible furniture has a separate mattress, normally stored under the seating, the filling material of the mattress must satisfy the Regulations and the finished product should meet the low hazard category of BS 7177 – that is it must be cigarette and match resistant. All convertible furniture must carry the appropriate display and permanent labels for furniture.

Where a separate mattress is provided this should separately comply with the labelling requirements for mattresses and bed-bases detailed in the low hazard category of BS 7177.

 

The FIRA site also says in the technical section:

Permanent labels:

All new furniture, except mattresses and bed bases, must carry a permanent label......

 

I find this is all very confusing and ambiguous

Although the sofa bed is a number of years old it is in almost as new condition and too good not to reuse.

Your experienced advice would be much appreciated.

I sold the majority of my furniture recently and I guess the rules apply on your case also, which are as follows:

The Regulations apply to second-hand furniture sold by a person in the course of business of his (including auction). However, they do not apply to furniture manufactured before 1 January 1950.

1 Statutory Instrument 1994/No. 2328, The Stationery Office Ltd £1.95 net.
2 BS 7177: 1989 (British Standard Specification for Resistance to ignition of mattresses, divans and bedbases).

The labels
Display labels
All new furniture except:
• mattresses and bed-bases
• pillows, scatter cushions and seat pads
• loose cover and stretch covers for furniture

must carry a display label at the point of sale. It is the retailer's responsibility to ensure that furniture on display carries the correct label. The Regulations contain full-size illustrations of display labels in colour. Reduced illustrations are shown on the next page to explain the meaning of the labels.

[Tom Sutton]

I am not sure what your question is and the question dated 25/1/2019 I believe was answered clearly to a satisfactory level.