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If an individual buys an item of furniture, upholstery, filling material or a cover which does not meet The Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations, 1988, and they receive personal injury as a result they may be entitled to compensation from the manufacturer or retail company from which they bought the item.
From the beginning of November, 1988 (and steadily phased in throughout 1989), regulations came into force which meant that all UK companies had to have fire safety labels on furniture and furnishings from then on. As well as this, since the regulation was passed, a strict rule for what upholstery, filling materials and covers can be used has been in force.
The Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations
No upholstery can be used in the UK, which has not first passed a Cigarette Test, no furniture can contain filling material which has not first passed an Ignitability Test, and no furniture covers may be used which have not first passed a Match Test.
Exceptions to this legislation are mattresses, bed-bases, pillows and cushions, which are allowed to be used even if they do not pass their respective tests, so long as they are manufactured or sold with a primary cover which has passed the specified test.
All furniture, even items sold in a set, must individually carry a label stating that it has passed the fire safety tests, or alternatively that it is not resistant to flame. Warnings include, "Filling material(s) and covering fabric(s) meet the requirements for resistance to cigarette and match ignition in the 1988 safety regulations," and "Cover fabric not match resistant".
Cigarette Test
Any covering fabrics or fire-barrier material used in furnishings, which have been treated with a fire-retardant chemical, are tested to make sure that ignitability is reduced.
The cover or fire-barrier is put through a water-soaking procedure and then dried in a fashion suitable for the material. Following this, the furniture will be reupholstered with the dried cover, and a lit cigarette placed on it in such a way so that it touches as large an area of the cover as possible. The cigarette is left to smoulder along its whole length, and for the cover to pass the test, no flame or hazardous fire damage should have presented itself after 30 to 60 minutes.
Match Test
This test is also begun by a water-soaking and drying procedure. Instead of a match, a butane flame of about 35mm is used to represent a match, which may in fact go out during the test. By using a butane flame, problems created by a match going out during the test are eliminated.
The butane flame is held to the material for 15 seconds and then removed. Should there be no burning of the fabric after two minutes of the flame's removal, then the Match Test has been passed.
Ignitability Test
Having previously been conditioned for 72 hours in an environment which has the temperature and humidity of a standard atmosphere, the material is set out on steal supports and exposed to flame for an amount of time identical to all other fabrics tested, in a draft-free room.
The reaction the material has to fire is monitored. Signs of smoke, smouldering, flame and afterglow are recorded. Other important data collected is the resulting loss of mass that the material has undergone and also if the material has reacted poorly to being exposed to flame. Poor overall outcome will mean that the fabric has failed to pass.
Making a product liability claim
If you would like to receive 100% compensation when making a product liability claim, then you could with our help. Contact us on 0800 10 757 95, through live help, or by using the request a call back service.
