Children’s Sleepwear Safety: Update from Health Canada
April 2007 (07B-116)
Canada has published a new version of Children’s Sleepwear: Flammability Requirement. The Guideline was last revised by Health Canada in 1998. As the department responsible for administering the Hazardous Products Act (HPA), Health Canada regulates the sale, advertisement and importation of hazardous products. Children's sleepwear is categorized as hazardous due to its potential to ignite and cause burn injuries and deaths as has occurred in the past. The updated version will incorporate past administrative rulings on specific sleepwear design features and provide interpretative information to assist industry in following the requirements. Health Canada is planning to provide two additional training sessions to industry in June 2007 on the new Guideline. There will be a one-year phase in period from that time for industry to comply with the new Guideline.
Key Changes to Canada’s Guidelines: In addition to making the publication more user-friendly, the following changes have been made:
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Summary table for different sleepwear designs.
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New dimensional criteria for cuffs or, in the absence of cuffs, the ends of sleeves and
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pant legs for polo pajamas and sleepers.
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New dimensional criteria for camisoles and sleeveless polo pajama tops.
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New design restriction for polo pajamas and sleepers: Trim permitted anywhere on
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the garment up to 6 mm from the point of attachment to the outer surface of the garment.
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New overlap measurement for tie-style garments.
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New illustrations.
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Additional information concerning drawstrings, small parts, lead, PVC and flame retardants has been added for reference.
Clarifying Appropriate Test Requirements by Style of Sleepwear: The updated publication offers additional guidance in helping distinguish which style garments fall under which applicable category and testing requirements of the HPA. The two categories are: Item 5, Part I of Schedule I, which generally includes “tighter” fitting garments, or Item 40, Part II of Schedule I, which generally includes “looser” fitting garments.
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Under HPA, Item 5, Part I of Schedule I, Children’s Sleepwear, (other than products included in item 40, Part II of the Schedule), in sizes up to and including size 14X, are tested in accordance with method ASTM D1230-61, Standard Method of Test for Flammability of Clothing Textiles. Sleepwear that must comply with Item 5, Part I, and are exempted from Item 40, Part II, include “tighter fitting” garments such as: sleepwear designed for hospital use, sleepwear for infants weighing up to 7 kg, polo pajamas and sleepers.
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Under HPA, Item 40, Part II of Schedule I and the Hazardous Products (Children’s Sleepwear) Regulations , “loose-fitting” garments must comply with the flammability test requirements under the Canadian test based on American criteria and testing methods (DOC FF 5 -74, Standard for the Flammability of Children’s Sleepwear: Sizes 7 through 14, Title 16, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1616). Exempt from these requirements are garments designed for hospital use, for infants up to 7 kg, polo pajamas, and sleepers.
For More Information: Please contact your services representative or Ellen Roaldi, Senior Global Technical Consulting Specialist, Softlines, at 716-505-3670 or via email: ellen.roaldi@us.bureauveritas.com.
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