FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Infant Sling Carriers Added to List of JPMA-Certified Product Categories
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. October 15, 2012--The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA), a non-profit association dedicated to promoting the industry and the safe use of juvenile products, announced today the creation of a JPMA Certification Program for infant sling carriers. JPMA initiated the Certification Program based on the ASTM voluntary standard that has been recently published, ASTM F2907-12.
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“JPMA is pleased to expand the JPMA Certification Program to include infant sling carriers,” said JPMA Executive Director Michael Dwyer, CAE. “Consumers are looking for manufacturers to create safe juvenile products and by adding infant sling carriers to the JPMA Certification Program, parents and caregivers now know that sling carriers that display the Certification logo have gone through extensive durability tests.”
The ASTM Standard Setting Process and the JPMA Certification Program
Although there is no government standard for infant sling carriers, ASTM recognized a need for a voluntary standard and initiated the standard setting process. Participants in the meetings include manufacturers, retailers, other industry members, consumer advocate groups, individual consumers and staff from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Following the establishment of the voluntary standard, JPMA added infant sling carriers to its Certification Program.
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Manufacturers participating in the program submit an application to JPMA, and then must also submit all of its infant sling carrier designs to an independent lab for safety testing.
Some of the inspections the testing lab checks for include:
- No hazardous sharp points, edges or small parts
- Any paint or surface coating must comply with 16 CFR 1303
- Any exposed wood part shall be smooth and free from splinters
- Requirements for monofilament threads
- Structural integrity and occupant retention
- No flammable solids as defined within 16 CFR 1500.3(c)(6)(vi)
- Requirements for latching and locking mechanisms
- Requirements for scissoring, shearing and pinching
- Permanent warning labels
- Specific requirements for suction cups
- Requirements for warning statements on the product, packaging and within the instructional literature
In order to qualify for Certification, all of the infant sling carriers manufactured by a participating company must meet the ASTM standard and JPMA Certification Program guidelines.
In order to maintain Certification, manufacturers must:
- Test their product to all of the applicable requirements of the JPMA Certification 2.0 program.
- The Participant will test one basic model and/or modification model for each family annually
- Maintain proper use of the JPMA Certification Seal by applying the program requirements to every model in their product line.
“The JPMA certification program is an excellent way for companies to ensure that their products are in compliance with current regulations without having a compliance specialist on staff,” said Vesta Garcia, Executive Director of the Baby Carrier Industry Alliance. “We are pleased that they have chosen to include the new Infant Sling Carrier standard in the program.”
The JPMA Certification Seal on a product communicates to parents that this product has been verified as conforming to the requirements established by ASTM, through independent laboratory testing. The manufacturers that participate in the JPMA Certification Program are held to high standards and are obligated to meet those principles with every product in the specific product line. The Certification Seal is a symbol of confidence that the juvenile products have met these performance standards.
About the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) is a national trade organization of more than 250 companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico. JPMA exists to advance the interests, growth and well-being of North American prenatal to preschool product manufacturers, importers and distributors marketing under their own brands to consumers. It does so through advocacy, public relations, information sharing, product performance Certification and business development assistance conducted with appreciation for the needs of parents, children and retailers.
About JPMA’s Baby Safety Month
Each year, JPMA sponsors Baby Safety Month in September, and in 2012, JPMA is dedicating Baby Safety Month to educating caregivers about second-hand products. JPMA initiated Baby Safety Month to inform parents and caregivers on the importance of the safe use and selection of juvenile products. To find out more information about the JPMA Certification Program, the products certified and a complete listing of JPMA members, please visit www.jpma.org.
Follow JPMA on Twitter @JPMA and connect with the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association on Facebook to learn about additional safety tips and JPMA initiatives.