The British Furniture Confederation (BFC) supports the decision for furniture fire safety regulations to avoid the ‘Red Tape Challenge’, an open consultation on current regulations before a review by ministers.
A report from the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) has confirmed that the Furniture and Furnishing (Fire) (Safety) Regulations are to be simplified and clarified, i.e. retained and not revoked.
The BFC has campaigned to maintain British Flammability Standards, which have been proven to save lives and are more rigorous than other European regulations.
Paul von der Heyde, Chairman of the BFC, said: “We support the decision that the Furniture and Furnishing (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 will not go to open consultation. We’re keen that any revision should not weaken the current regulations which we believe would be detrimental to UK consumer safety and affect the competitiveness of the UK upholstery and beds sector. The review will instead look at simplifying the regulations and reducing the cost of compliance.”