Washington, D.C. – Consumer Federation of America (CFA) applauded action taken today by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to finalize a mandatory rule making bunk beds safer for children.  “This long-awaited rule will help assure that bunk beds are not death traps for their young occupants.  CPSC has taken a very positive step forward for American families today in addressing fatal entrapment hazards in bunk beds,” said Mary Ellen Fise, CFA General Counsel.

Bunk beds have been associated with more than 100 entrapment deaths to young children since the mid-1980s.  CPSC estimates that about 10 bunk bed-related entrapment deaths occur in the United States each year.  In addition, there have been at least 65 “near miss” entrapment incidents meaning that but for the luck of the child, who was rescued by a parent or caregiver, the number of entrapment fatalities would be much higher.

CFA has been working on this issue since 1986 when it filed a petition with the safety agency requesting a mandatory standard to address entrapment deaths to children.  “After years of study and too many deaths, CPSC has finally taken action.  We are very grateful to Chairman

Brown and Commissioner Moore for their support of a mandatory rule, ” said Fise, author of the 1986 petition.  The CPSC action to promulgate a final rule came on a 2-1 vote of the Commission.

While there is a voluntary standard for bunk beds, CFA argued that compliance with the voluntary standard has been inadequate and a mandatory standard is needed.  Over the last four years, the Commission has identified at least 44 different manufacturers of bunk beds in violation of the voluntary standard and necessitating product recalls involving over one-half million bunk beds.  CPSC’s last review of such compliance found that nearly 40% of those examined were in violation of the standard.