Sleep Safer

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that 330 deaths and 1,680 injuries occur each year from mattress fires. After more than eight years of research and study, they enacted a new federal mattress flammability standard that went into effect last year. The standard was instituted to limit the intensity of a mattress fire, and they hope these new guidelines can eliminate 75 percent of deaths and injuries due to a mattress catching fire.

This is not the first fire standard to be mandated by the government. In the early 1970’s a federal cigarette-ignition standard was put into place. However, this recent move takes safety one step further by addressing open flames. It is important to note that increased fire resistance does not mean that the risk of fire is eliminated completely.

We at Flex-A-Bed believe the safety, health and well being of our customers are top priorities for our company and the industry as a whole. A safer mattress cannot reduce injury and risk alone though. Just as with anything in the home that could catch fire, we urge consumers to be careful with candles, to keep cigarettes and lighters away from children, have working smoke detectors throughout their homes and to never smoke in bed.

Research shows that about one-third of deaths from bedroom fires involve either people in or near the bed, another third are those that are elsewhere in the bedroom, while the last third die when the fire “flashes” over from the bedroom to other parts of the home. These “flashes” can be in excess of 1200 degrees and take under three minutes to occur. The new standard is intended to slow the growth and intensity of a mattress fire, delaying or avoiding flash over, giving consumers a longer time to escape to safety.

The CPSC is not stopping with the bedding industry either. Proposed regulations are before the federal government for upholstered furniture and clothing as well. All mattresses sold right now should be compliant, but just to be sure, check the label, and if it is not approved, do not make the purchase as safety should be a top priority.