Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Consumer Protection topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bureau lab reports high pass rate for furniture flammability test but persistent labeling violations
Summary
Laboratory supervisor Rosemarie Picota reported high pass rates for TB 117/2013 testing and bedding fiber analyses but significant and recurring labeling violations; the bureau plans outreach and additional guidance for industry on law-label formatting.
The Bureau of Household Goods and Services’ laboratory reported overall strong technical test results for some flammability tests but continued problems with labeling compliance during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.
Rosemarie Picota, the laboratory supervisor and senior environmental scientist, told the advisory council the lab completed 83 TB 117/2013 tests this year and reported a 99% pass rate with a single failure. “Of those 83 samples...24% from California, 4 percent from other states, 72% from overseas,” Picota said when summarizing manufacturing origins for the tests.
By contrast, mattress testing under the federal 16 CFR 1633 mattress standard showed weaker outcomes: 21 mattresses were completed during the year with 13 passing and seven failing, corresponding to a 65% pass rate and a 35% failure rate.
Picota emphasized persistent problems with labeling compliance. For non-thermal-insulation labeling, the lab recorded 22 labels with no violations, 49 with minor violations, 66 with moderate violations, and 11 failures — a 15% pass rate on labels and a 7% outright failure rate. Council members asked for clearer breakdowns and examples: Pascal Banyamini and Bert Grimes urged the bureau to publish guidance and example labels, and the bureau agreed to consider an industry bulletin and to revisit how it categorizes minor versus moderate violations.
The laboratory also reported results on flame-retardant chemical statements. For statements required under SB 1019 (SB 1019 referenced in materials discussion), the lab found 91% of samples checked the “no added flame retardant chemical” box; 5% indicated presence of flame retardants and 4% provided no indication.
Picota said DTSC testing had been used in selected samples: 11 articles passed DTSC’s parts-per-million thresholds and one exceeded the limit. On the federal side, the label changes tied to TB 117/2013 and forthcoming CPSC federal labeling were discussed later in the meeting; Picota and policy staff said bureau labeling-format requirements (California Code of Regulation Section 1374.3) remain in force and the bureau will coordinate FAQs and an industry bulletin to clarify labeling expectations.
Why it matters: High pass rates on TB 117/2013 indicate compliance on the flammability test for many products, but recurring labeling violations create enforcement and consumer-information gaps. Industry representatives asked for clearer, updated guidance to reduce the high rate of labeling violations.
