Fully understanding the UK’s flammability regulations for upholstered furniture and how they relate to products will help prevent issues with potentially dangerous, non-compliant products and the knock-on effects of expensive product recall and potentially a significant drop in consumer confidence.
FIRA, widely recognised by experts in flammability for furniture, has announced more dates for its flammability course for domestic upholstered furniture to meet demand from the industry for support in this field.
The courses will be held on Thursday 18th September, Wednesday 22nd October and Thursday 27th November.
Aimed at furniture suppliers, manufacturers, importers, retail buyers and technologists, the course provides an overview of the UK Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations and guidance on how to interpret the Regulations for your specific business or product.
“Since the BBC investigation at the beginning of the year into non-compliant products on sale in the UK, we have seen the industry take swift action. The UK’s flammability regulations are extremely complex and so this course has proven to be very popular. Knowing the questions to ask a supplier and how to identify potential issues will help to mitigate risk to your business and help build your due diligence. This course provides an opportunity for delegates to really get to grips with how the Regulations relate to their own business on a practical level,” says Tristine Hargreaves, FIRA’s standards and regulatory manager, a flammability course trainer.
The regulations cover a variety of furniture products, including sofas, chairs, beds, headboards, bean bags and casual seating.
Tristine continues: “The UK’s flammability regulations are made up of several schedules which cover the different parts of a product. Everyone has the responsibility of due diligence and you could be asked to demonstrate that a product is compliant. If a product is deemed to be non-compliant, this is illegal and could result in product withdrawal from sale, product recall or prosecution. We provide a breakdown of the Regulations and give an understanding of how they relate to your products. By the end of the day you should be able to assess your products to see whether they are fully compliant with the Regulations and avoid unnecessary recall costs or fines.”
The flammability course looks at why the regulations were introduced, the different schedules, labelling, test reports, product assessments and traceability of materials. A training certificate will be issued upon completion of the course and training notes provided to assist with future product assessments. The course also includes a tour of the FIRA Flammability Test Laboratory.
Prices for the course are £250+VAT for FIRA members and £400+VAT for non-members. FIRA also offers bespoke training sessions which can be held at individual premises. For further information, contact Tristine Hargreaves on +44 (0) 1438 777 606, email [email protected] or book online at www.fira.co.uk/training.
