The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) recently launched three voluntary standards to improve the safety of textile sleeping products. The standards for children’s cot duvets (EN 16779-1), children’s cot bumpers (EN 16780) and children’s sleep bags for use in cot (EN 16781) include safety requirements and test methods, warnings and instructions to adult users to address the possible hazards posed by these products.
In 2010, the European Commission adopted Decision 2010/376/EU [1] on safety requirements to be met by European standards for certain products in the sleep environment of children (cot mattresses, cot bumpers, suspended baby beds, duvets for children and sleep bags for children). This decision highlights the main hazards posed by these products where babies and young children are commonly left unattended for longer periods during the day and the night.
In August 2018, three of the voluntary European safety standards as expected by the mandate of the European Commission were made available in the CEN library. Any national standard related to these items must be withdrawn in February 2019.
- EN 16779-1:2018 Textile child care articles – Safety requirements and test methods for children’s cot duvets. Part 1: Duvet (excluding duvet covers). This standard specifies requirements for the safety of children’s cot duvets (excluding removable duvet covers) and cot quilts / coverlet suitable for children up to 36 months.
- EN 16780:2018 Textile child care articles – Safety requirements and test methods for children’s cot bumpers;
- EN 16781:2018 Textile child care articles – Safety requirements and test methods for children’s sleep bags for use in a cot. This standard is applicable to products for use by younger children based on them not being able to climb out of the cot (approximately under the age of 24 months)
These European Standards were developed to minimize the main risks posed by products in the sleep environment of babies and young children, listed in the European decision as:
- Hazards from chemicals
- Flammability risks
- Hyperthermia (overheating)
- Microbiological hazards and hygiene
- Entrapment from gaps and openings
- Entanglement (strangulation) hazards
- Choking and internal suffocation
- External suffocation
- Structural integrity
These standards define product design, manufacturing and performance requirements, as well as safety warnings and product information to provide safer products for consumers. The Safety Requirements for EN 16779-1:2018, EN 16781:2018 and EN 16781:2018 include:
- Design Characteristics (e.g. labels, embellishments, fabrics and filling materials)
- Mechanical and Physical Hazards (e.g. strangulation, small parts, sharp point and sharp edge)
- Chemical Hazards (e.g. migration of certain substances, formaldehyde, flame retardants)
- Thermal Hazards
- Fire Hazards
- Hygiene Hazards
- Labelling and product information
These three new standards have been developed and published under a mandate from the EU Commission: it is intended that these standards will be published in the frame of the General Product Safety Directive. Products meeting the requirements of the standards are presumed to be safe.
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