Committees responsible for this British Standard

The preparation of this British standard was entrusted to Technical Committee CW/52, Children's cots, bunk beds and mattresses, upon which the following bodies were represented:

BSI Testing services

Baby Equipment Hirers' Association

Baby Products Association

British Association of Nursery and Pram Retailers

British Furniture Manufacturers' Federation

British Measurement and Testing Association

British Retail Consortium

British Toy and Hobby Association

Chemical Industries Association

Child Accident Prevention Trust

Consumer Policy Committee of BSI

Department of Health, Health Care Division (specialist Clinical services)

Department of Trade and Industry

Foundation for the study of Infants Deaths

Furniture Industry Research Association

Institute of Trading standards Administration

Laboratory of the Government Chemist

National Bed Federation

Youth Hostels Association (England and Wales)

Coopted members

This British standard, having been prepared under the direction of the Consumer Products and services sector Policy and strategy Committee, was published under the authority of the standards Policy and strategy Committee on 24 September 2001

The following BSI references relate to the work on this standard:

Foreword

The British standard has been prepared by Technical Committee CW/52, Children's cots, bunk beds and mattresses.

BS 7972:2001+A1:2009 supersedes BS 7972:2001, which is withdrawn.

The start and finish of text introduced or altered by Amendment No. 1 is indicated in the text by tags . Minor editorial changes are not tagged.

The types of bedguard covered by this standard are intended for domestic use for children within the age range of 18 months to 5 years. A bedguard used in conjunction with an adult bed is not considered a suitable environment for children under 18 months of age.

The principal danger from the use of bedguards is perceived to be entrapment should a child's body pass through gaps and then become trapped by the head. In such circumstances there is a real danger that the child could be strangled. The entrapment of a limb by the bedguard, although possible in certain circumstances, is thought to be less hazardous, though potentially painful.

In particular, attention is drawn to the following statutory Instruments:

A British standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users of British standards are responsible for their correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

Summary of pages

This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii, pages 1 to 14, an inside back cover and a back cover.

The BSI copyright notice displayed in this document indicates when the document was last issued.

1 Scope

This British standard specifies safety requirements and methods of test for children's bedguards for domestic use. It applies to bedguards intended for use with beds having a maximum height of 600 mm and a minimum internal length of 1 400 mm. These bedguards, when used in conjunction with a bed/mattress combination, are intended to prevent children aged between 18 months and 5 years from falling out of bed.

This standard is not applicable to bedguards designed for adult use, nor to bedguards which are an integral part of a bed, i.e. a permanent fixture not intended to be detached.

2 Normative references

3 Definitions

4 Materials

4.1 Migration of certain elements

4.2 Wood

5 Construction

5.1 General

5.2 Detachable components

5.3 Non-detachable components

5.4 Mesh

5.5 Security of bedguard

5.6 Folding and locking mechanisms

5.7 Flammability performance of fabrics and fabric assemblies

5.8 Decals, labels and decorative effects

6 Marking

6.1

6.2

7 Purchase information

8 Instructions for use

9 Packaging

9.1

9.2

Bibliography

BS 7972:2001+A1:2009

Safety requirements and test methods for children's bedguards for domestic use

Current

Published:

24 Sep 2001