CPSC Sets New Safety Standard for Portable Hook-on Chairs

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is finalizing a new safety standard for portable hook-on chairs. The agency’s final rule (here) adopts the current industry voluntary standard ASTM F1235 unchanged. The new standard includes requirements for sharp points, small parts, lead in paint, wood parts, latching and locking mechanisms, scissoring, shearing and pinching, exposed coil springs, openings, labeling and protective components. The standard also has test methods that must be used to assess conformity with its requirements. New testing and certification requirements take effect Sept. 28.

The new standard adopts the definition of “portable hook-on chair” in ASTM F1235, a usually “legless seat constructed to locate the occupant at a table in such a position and elevation so that the surface of the table can be used as the feeding surface for the occupant … supported solely by the table on which it is mounted.” The ASTM standard specifies the appropriate ages and weights for children using portable hook-on chairs as “between the ages of six months and three years and who weigh no more than 37 lb (16.8 kg) (95th percentile male at three years).” Typical hook-on chairs consist of fabric over a lightweight frame, with a device to mount the seat to a support surface, such as a table or counter. Some hook-on chairs fold for easy storage or transport, and some include a removable tray that can be used in conjunction with a table.