Lab Manager Jacob Baker told the advisory council that the bureau has reclassified two long‑standing textile technician positions to laboratory analyst roles, filled both positions, secured a contract to replace burned 16 CFR 1633 (mattress flammability) equipment, and consolidated accreditation under a single contract.

Baker said the burner equipment used for federal mattress flammability testing broke in 2024 and a contract with DTAC (vendor name in presentation) has been executed to replace the equipment, train staff and enable accreditation assessments. He said the lab expects a virtual accreditation assessment once new equipment is installed and staff training is complete. "The equipment's been broken since 2024," he said, adding the lab expects to become operational again by late 2025 or early 2026 depending on installation and accreditation schedules.

The laboratory has also begun sampling online retailers and reported it will increase sampling frequency. Testing results presented for the recent period showed pass/fail patterns across program areas: the smoldering (technical bulletin GV1‑17/2013) testing for upholstered furniture passed for the latest 54 samples presented; bedding finish‑size and net‑weight testing and label reviews showed higher failure rates (the packet reported about a 63% failure rate for bedding across tests and 29% overall failure rate across furniture, bedding and thermal samples in the two‑year window presented). The lab also reported consolidated accreditation (new AA‑LAB accreditation number listed to support combined home furnishings and thermal scopes) and work to replace aging equipment.

Baker said thermal insulation (R‑value and thermal oscillation) testing has been constrained during a transition between accreditation bodies but is resuming; the lab reported a multi‑specimen workflow and longer run times for those tests. He noted that the bureau expects sampling and testing throughput to rise once staff complete equipment installation and reaccreditation.

Ending: The lab said it expects testing capacity for mattresses, bedding and insulation to increase once new equipment is in place, staff are trained and accreditation is complete; staff will report further testing results at future meetings.