What we’re doing about the furniture and furnishing fire safety regulations

This video graphically demonstrates how consumers may be at risk from the sale of chairs, passed as safe, but likely to go up in smoke. We commissioned the video following new guidance from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) regarding motorised furniture. We are concerned that two items of motorised furniture could be offered for sale in the UK side by side, one of which conforms to the current Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations (FFFSR) and one which does not. The video graphically demonstrates the speed of escalation of fire on the non-compliant chair compared with the compliant one and calls into question the suggestion that the Directive and the FFFSR offer the same level of fire safety, which urgently needs revisiting. We believe it also demonstrates the ongoing effectiveness of the FFFSR in protecting the general public and that the need for them to be retained, However, they too are in urgent need of updating to reflect modern materials and manufacturing techniques and to ensure environmental concerns are met and we are urging government to engage in meaningful consultation as soon as possible.