KLEM COMMITS TO STURDY ACT

Recently, the STURDY Act was enacted to protect small children from injury or death caused by the tipping of free-standing clothing storage units. The STURDY Act is part of the fiscal 2023 omnibus spending bill passed by Congress on December 23, 2022.

The law requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to adopt an updated version of the ASTM International F2057-23 voluntary standard, making it a new mandatory safety rule effective for products manufactured on or after September 1, 2023.

All free-standing clothing storage units sold in the United States must comply with the STURDY Act if they meet all three of the following criteria:

• Height of at least 27 inches.
• Weight of 30 pounds or more.
• Enclosed storage volume of at least 3.2 cubic feet.

Manufacturers must provide proof of testing results for qualifying items, demonstrating compliance with the ASTM F2057-23 standard. If a unit is borderline or non-compliant, it must be re-designed to meet the mandatory standard. Design changes may include securing the unit to a wall or floor, increasing depth, reducing drawer extension, adding weight to enhance stability, etc.

Fixed wall attachment or floor mounting is the recommended and simplest method for compliance. Simply attaching an anti-tip device does not meet the requirements of this law. If secure mounting is not possible, alternative product design changes will be necessary to meet the requirements.

Klem Hospitality will help to suggest solutions but will not quote or supply any non-compliant units. Specific testing, if required, incurs minimal charges, and testing duration may delay production and delivery dates. Thus, to avoid any delays, it is very important to work within the guidelines of the STURDY Act at the design stage of your project.

The STURDY Act’s requirements apply to all hospitality manufacturers of guestroom casegoods, necessitating industry-wide compliance for child safety.

Please reach out to our project management team for any inquiries or assistance with compliance. Our commitment is to uphold the highest safety standards for our products and consumers.

Thank you for your attention, and we look forward to working together to ensure compliance with the STURDY Act as well as provide efficient project management.