Regulatory Agencies To Update Attendees On Status Of Furniture Flammability Legislation

Furniture World Magazine

A panel session featuring regulatory agency representatives and industry experts will discuss the current and near-future status of furniture flammability codes at Polyurethanes Conference 2002. The conference is scheduled for Oct. 13-16 in Salt Lake City, and will feature two sessions about the fire safety of upholstered furniture and mattresses. The panel will consist of John McCormack, California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation; Diane Daems, Huntsman Europe; Marty Durbin, director of Federal Relations with the American Chemistry Council and American Plastics Council; and Kelly Ransdell from Risk Watch, a comprehensive injury prevention program for use in schools, developed by the National Fire Protection Association. McCormack will update attendees on the revision of California Technical Bulletin 117. Randsell will speak on the Alliance for the Polyurethanes Industry's involvement with fire safety education. Daems will provide insight on European construction, transportation and furniture fire standards and regulations. She will update attendees on efforts to harmonize standards and test methods across Europe. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panel following the presentations. In a separate technical session, six papers will be presented on the combustibility topic. Papers will examine U.S. building codes for flammability, toxic combustion gas emission data, flame retardants and testing methods. For more information, please contact Lisa Smith at 703-741-5656.