WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Commission voted 4-0-1 to extend the length of time that short-term crib rental companies have to comply with the new mandatory standards for full-size and non-full-size baby cribs. This extension gives crib rental companies until December 28, 2012 to update their inventory with compliant cribs, which is the same deadline for the public accommodation facilities that these companies serve.
When the Commission approved the new rules in 2010, child care facilities, such as family child care homes and infant Head Start centers, and places of public accommodation, such as hotels and motels, were given until December 28, 2012 to have compliant cribs in their facilities.
Today's vote by the Commission does not change the requirements on manufacturers or retailers of cribs. The Commission voted 3-2 today against granting an extension for retailers to comply with the new crib safety requirements. In turn, the Commission will continue to require companies that manufacture or sell cribs in the United States to comply with the new federal safety standards effective June 28, 2011.
Federal mandatory crib standards had not been updated in nearly 30 years and the new rule will usher in a safer generation of cribs. These mandatory standards will: 1) stop the manufacture and sale of dangerous, traditional drop-side cribs; 2) make mattress supports stronger; 3) improve slat strength, 4) make crib hardware more durable; and 5) make safety testing more rigorous.
The new safety standards aim to keep children safer in their cribs and prevent deaths resulting from detaching crib drop-sides and faulty or defective hardware.
These crib standards were mandated by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). For more information on crib safety and safe sleep environments for baby, visit CPSC's crib information center at: www.cpsc.gov/cribs
Statements from the Commissioners
Statement from Chairman Inez Tenenbaum
Statement from Commissioner Thomas Moore
Statement from Commissioner Robert Adler
Statement from Commissioner Nancy Nord
Statement from Commissioner Anne Northup
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to http://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/Subscribe/ (http://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/Subscribe/). Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov (http://www.cpsc.gov).