Flammability – Contract Furniture

Tristine HargreavesStandards & Regulatory Manager

Flammability

• Domestic flammability requires compliance with the Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended)

• Cover materials• Filling materials

Flammability

• Contract flammability requires compliance with BS7176

• Composite test of cover materials + fillings together

• Note! Fillings must still meet the requirements as described in the Annex (same requirements as Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended)

BS 7176

• Low Hazard – cigarette and match only• Medium Hazard – cigarette, match + crib 5• High Hazard – cigarette, match + crib 7

• Examples of hazard categories are given in the standard, however, these are a guideline and other factors may need to be taken into consideration, such as;

• Are the premises also used for sleeping, fire escape etc...

Specifying Contract Furniture

A simple statement such as ‘The furniture shall comply with BS 7176: 2007 for Medium Hazard’ is a full and precise definition of requirements. It is advantageous in that it not only sets ignition resistance levels but also requires the use of Schedule 1 Part 1 of the FFFSR (combustion modified

foam) and clarifies the need for the durability of any flame retardant treatments.

This statement also requires re-testing the product at a set frequency during production. This would be extremely difficult for a purchaser or Responsible Person to police, hence a level of trust is needed between the specifier and supplier.

Specifying Contract Furniture

It also requires the furniture to be visibly labelled which may not be possible in an acceptable manner with some styles of furniture, especially those built-in items (which cannot be reversed to view a label on the underside). These issues should be addressed with the selected supplier during the

tendering process.

Test houses are unlikely to be able to issue a test certificate stating full compliance to BS 7176 or BS 7177,due to the difficulties in policing the labelling and re-test requirements. Instead, any certificate usually makes a

statement such as

‘this item complies with the ignition resistance requirements of BS 7176 Medium Hazard’.

Any questions?