Birmingham, UK – The UK’s Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) is attempting to simplify compliance with the UK’s furniture flammability regulations.
Phil Reynolds director of FIRA launched the assurance process at the January Furniture Show at the NEC near Birmingham, UK 21-24 January 2018.
He said: ‘This year, the regulations are 30 years old. At this event, all of our enquiries have an element about flammability.’
The new scheme is designed to assure furniture makers, upholsterers or suppliers of upholstered furniture that can demonstrate compliance with UK Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations.
The UK operates a patchwork of enforcement of the regulations through local authority trading standards departments. ‘Different trading standards take different views of the regulations,’ he added.
Consequently, FIRA has teamed up with Hertfordshire Trading Standards to offer an assured advice service.
The Assured Advice service is designed to apply only to domestic furniture and does not cover mattresses or commercial furnishing which are covered by their own regulations.
There will be a joining fee and annual membership fee to belong to the FIRA system to cover the cost of compliance audits. The compliance scheme could be open to non-UK firms, Reynolds said.
