U.S. – CPSC Adopts ASTM F2050-19 for Hand-Held Infant Carriers in Direct Final Rule

Vol. 1158 | 27 May 2020

As part of the rulemaking process required by Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved the new ASTM F2050-19 to be incorporated in the federal regulation 16 CFR 1225 – Safety Standard for Hand-Held Infant Carriers.

A Hand-held infant carrier as defined in the standard is, “a freestanding, rigid-sided or semi-rigid-sided product intended to carry an occupant whose torso is completely supported by the product to facilitate transportation by a caregiver by means of hand-holds or handles.”

The ASTM F2050 -19 is the second revision to the standard since the CPSC adopted ASTM F2050-13a in the original rule. The CPSC has ruled that the revisions from the ASTM F2050-13a to the ASTM F2050-19 version have been neutral or improve the safety of hand-held infant carriers and hence adopted the F2050-19 in a direct final rule.

The significant revisions from the ASTM F1967-13a to the ASTM F1967-19 version of the standard are as follows:

• The definition of hand-held infant carriers revised to incorporate the term ‘semi-rigid’, thereby aligning with the original 16 CFR 1225, which adopted the F2050-13a standard in entirety with this one modification.
• Hand-held bassinets/cradles are exempt from the requirement to display a “NEVER leave child unattended” warning message.
• New warning icon and statement added to address falls from shopping carts required in the instructional brochures for carriers.

The revised ASTM F2050-19 standard becomes the mandatory Safety Standard for Hand-Held Infant Carriers effective August 3, 2020, unless the CPSC receives any significant adverse comments by June 19, 2020. Hand-Held Infant Carriers manufactured on and after this date shall meet requirements of this rule and additionally will also require certification per 16 CFR 1110 based on testing at a CPSC-approved third-party accreditation body (third-party lab) per ASTM F2050-19 standard.

The Final Rule can be reviewed at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-05-20/pdf/2020-09166.pdf

For questions, please contact Laxmi Ravikumar (laxmi.ravikumar@intertek.com, +1-630-209-9265).