SG 085/25
United Kingdom (UK) updates Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations in April 2025.
On April 30, 2025, the British Office for Product Safety and Standards issued statutory guidance related to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. Businesses are advised to carefully review these changes and adjust their practices to maintain compliance with the updated regulatory framework.
Summary of changes
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, which will take effect on October 30, 2025, introduce several key changes to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988.
Key changes
Exclusion of certain baby and children’s products:
The regulations now exclude a list of baby and children’s products from the scope of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. These changes are designed to enhance safety and reduce exposure to chemical flame retardants for babies and young children, at a significant stage in their development when the fire risk is lower than the chemical exposure risk.
Products newly excluded include:
- Mattresses and modular mattresses for babies and children with dimensions under 170 cm in length and 75 cm in width
- Upholstery intended to be used with baby furniture, such as pram sacks, car seat inserts, and ‘snuzzlers’ designed for use with baby seating
- Playpens, play mats and baby changing mats
- Prams, pushchairs, buggies and strollers
- Cots, cribs and cradles (including carry cots, bassinets, Moses baskets, travel cots and bedside sleepers)
- Cot bumpers, upholstered bed side barriers and baby nests
- Baby rockers, bouncers including reclined cradles, highchairs, lowchairs, chair- and table-mounted booster seats and children’s car seats
- Baby walkers
Labeling requirements:
The requirement for manufacturers to affix a display label to new products, commonly referred to as a swing label, has been removed.
The obligations relating to the permanent/durable label attached to furniture as required by regulation 11 of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety)Regulations 1988 remains in force, as they include all relevant compliance information.
Legal proceedings time frame:
The time frame for instituting legal proceedings in case of non-compliances across England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, has been extended from six to 12 months. Stocks of products compliant with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1988 and labeled as such can continue to be sold after this date indefinitely, provided the labeling accurately reflects compliance.
General Product Safety Regulations:
Products no longer in scope under the amended regulations will need to meet the requirements of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR) in Great Britain and EU Regulation 2023/988 on General Product Safety in Northern Ireland (EU GPSR). Producers must ensure that products are safe under normal and reasonably foreseeable conditions of use, considering product characteristics, effects on other products, presentation and consumer categories. This includes a consideration of the fire safety of the products. Companies should consider referring to established international standards such as EN 1021-1 and 2 or EN 71-2 to demonstrate their compliance with the GPSR and the EU GPSR in terms of fire safety.
Risk assessment:
Manufacturers must conduct thorough risk assessments to identify potential hazards associated with their products, estimate risk levels and implement mitigation measures.
Documentation and traceability:
Under Regulation EU No 2023/988, technical documentation, including test reports and risk assessments, must be maintained for products sold in Europe and Northern Ireland. For products sold in the United Kingdom, risk assessment is not a formal requirement at this time.
Products should be identifiable with batch numbers, and manufacturers’ contact information must be provided in accordance with regulations in force in their respective markets.
Conformity assessment:
Before placing products on the market, manufacturers must ensure they comply with all applicable safety requirements, including relevant European standards (EN standards) or BS standards.
For further guidance on complying with the requirements in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, refer to the official GOV.UK guidance, Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 2025: UK - GOV.UK
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