ISPA Launches “SHOPtalk” Series Opening Seminar to Focus Exclusively on Flammability

Furniture World Magazine

The International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) has introduced an enhanced “SHOPtalk” educational seminar series dedicated specifically to the mattress industry. SHOPtalk workshops will present excellent resources and experts on the industry’s most significant current topics, including Technical Bulletin 603, a new flammability regulation for mattresses. The kickoff SHOPtalk seminar, a flammability workshop titled “California TB603: Implementation and Beyond,” will be hosted in cooperation with ISPA affiliate, the Sleep Products Safety Council (SPSC), and will be held in February 2004 in four major U.S. cities. Through keynote speaker presentations, tabletop product exhibits, and panel discussions with leading suppliers of FR mattress components, California regulators and representatives from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), participants will obtain valuable information about technical requirements associated with TB603 - the new California mattress flammability standard - and related compliance issues. The four sessions will take place on February 3 in San Francisco, CA; February 4 in Los Angeles, CA; February 10 in Chicago, IL; and February 12 in Charlotte, NC. Each will feature mattress flammability experts including Gordon Damant, SPSC Technical Consultant; Dennis Kemp, SPSC Combustibility Committee Chairman; Lynn Morris, Chief of California’s Bureau of Home Furnishings; John McCormack of the California Bureau of Home Furnishings; and Margaret Neily, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Director for Combustion and Fire Sciences. Chicago’s February 10th session will include a full burn laboratory demonstration. “These interactive SHOPtalk seminars will provide crucial information to CEOs, production managers, plant managers, and technical staff during what is such an important time in our industry,” said ISPA President Dick Doyle. “I anticipate that the experts and resources we will assemble will provide participants with essential knowledge and practical ideas for their business.” Future SHOPtalk seminars may include other workplace issues such as: quality control; supply chain management; insurance and risk assessment; and human resources. For more information or to register for the “SHOPtalk” Flammability seminar, visit the ISPA Web site at www.sleepproducts.org/shoptalk. Members of the press can receive complimentary registration by contacting Roberta Sheridan (rsheridan@sleepproducts.org) at 703-683 8371, ext. 1131. Established in 1915, the International Sleep Products Association, www.sleepproducts.org is the trade organization for mattress manufacturers and their component suppliers around the world. ISPA hosts the biennial ISPA EXPO trade show and publishes BEDtimes and Sleep Savvy magazines. The Sleep Products Safety Council, www.safesleep.org is a non-profit organization established in 1986 by the mattress industry. SPSC’s mission is to provide consumer safety information, support research, and promote activities aimed at reducing hazards associated with mattresses and other sleep products.