Quick overview of the STURDY Act

Furniture tip-over accidents can be fatal, with more than 470 children in the United States (U.S.) have died from tip-overs since 2000. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), tip-overs also lead to an average of 22,500 emergency room-treated injuries each year.

Aiming to stop this kind of devastating incidents, the Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth Act (STURDY Act) was passed by the U.S. Congress on 23 December 2022 to enact the safety requirements for such free-standing furniture items. This Act will now supersede the U.S. CPSC’s final rule on the Safety Standard for Clothing Storage Units (CSUs).

In this article, we will give you a quick overview of this newly passed STURDY Act.

What do you need to know about STURDY Act?

The STURDY Act required the CPSC to review the voluntary industry standard and establish a mandatory consumer product safety standard for the clothing storage units (CSUs).

Following are the requirements from the STURDY Act:

The standard promulgated shall protect children from tip-over-related death or injury with:

• tests that simulate the weight of children up to 60 pounds;
• objective, repeatable, reproducible, and measurable tests or series of tests that simulate real-world use and account for impacts on clothing storage unit stability that may result from placement on carpeted surfaces, drawers with items in them, multiple open drawers, and dynamic force;
• testing of all clothing storage units, including those 27 inches and above in height; and
• warning requirements based on ASTM 14 F2057-19, or its successor at the time of enactment, provided that the CPSC may strengthen the warning requirements of ASTM F2057–19, or its successor, if reasonably necessary to protect children from tip-over-related death or injury.

The requirements of the safety standard under the STURDY Act will apply to the CSUs manufactured on and after 1 September 2023.

When will the new requirements under STURDY Act be effective?

The STURDY Act has passed on 23 December 2022 and established following timeline:

• First 60 days: ASTM International to publish revisions to the ASTM F2057 standard to meet the requirements of the STURDY Act outlined above. (Note: ASTM F2057-23 has already been published)
• Next 90 days (after 1): The CPSC determines whether to adopt the updated ASTM F2057 standard in whole or in parts and promulgate a final consumer product safety rule that meets the requirements of the STURDY Act.
• Next 120 days (after 2): The new CSU product safety rule will go into effect 120 days after the date of the promulgation or such a later date as the CPSC determines appropriate.

The ASTM International published the revised ASTM F2057-23 on 6 February 2023 to meet the requirements of the STURDY Act.

On 19 April 2023, the CPSC voted to adopt the ASTM F2057-2023 as the mandatory safety standard for the CSUs by direct final rule. In addition, the CPSC had previously approved a mandatory safety standard to address the risk of clothing storage unit tip-overs, which was to take effect 24 May 2023, but will now be replaced by the new mandatory standard.

The direct final rule was published in the Federal Register on 4 May 2023 and will go in effect on 1 September 2023, unless the CPSC receives significantly adverse comments by 5 June 2023. The final rule will apply to the CSUs manufactured on and after the effective date. The Children’s CSUs manufactured on and after the effective date will require testing at a CPSC accepted third party lab for 16 CFR 1261 as a basis for the Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) under the 16 CFR 1110 rule.

How the Eurofins Toys & Hardlines network of laboratories can help?

Furniture can tip over due to product flaws, uneven surfaces, putting heavy items on top, or opening multiple drawers at the same time. Our furniture testing, regulatory, audit, and inspection services are here to assist you to ensure the performance, safety, quality, and compliance of your products.

The STURDY ACT is a new regulation with specific requirements. To find out how it may affect you, consult an expert in the furniture testing field. Visit our Furniture Testing Services page to see how we help.