Statement in Response to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Approving a Final Rule for Infant Slings.
The Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA) is a US-based, registered non-profit trade association which exists to represent manufacturers, retailers and educators in the baby carrier industry. As an alliance of industry leaders, our mission is to promulgate standards across the industry, promote educational outreach, and help small businesses comply with regulations and best practices.
The BCIA has been instrumental in the creation and development of the ASTM F2907 sling carrier standard. The standard sets reasonable requirements for manufacturers and requires all infant slings to undergo mechanical testing, and also be sold with instruction manuals, labels, and warnings to promote proper usage of the slings by consumers. BCIA believes that the collaboration between members of the committee, including industry members, consumer groups, and representatives from the CPSC, has resulted in a robust standard and we are proud to support its adoption as a mandatory product safety requirement. The BCIA and the industry at large is indebted to Vesta Garcia- founding 2907 sub-committee chair and original BCIA executive director, and to Rochelle Price- current sub-committee chair and founding BCIA board member- for their tireless efforts over the last 7 years.
The BCIA is committed to helping its member companies of all sizes comply with these requirements and ensure that all products in the marketplace meet the standard. The anticipated compliance date for this standard is February 2018. Our commitment over the next year is to ensure that industry members have the education and resources available to manage compliance, as well as to inform consumers of this market development. We will continue to work closely with the CPSC, testing labs and industry members to ensure consistent information is delivered. The BCIA has the utmost confidence that sling manufacturers will navigate this industry development as smoothly as manufacturers have under the earlier regulated F2236 Soft Carrier and F2549 Frame Carrier required standards.
Part of BCIA’s mandate is to promote the health and social benefits of parents wearing their infants and toddlers. In its ongoing public education campaign, BCIA encourages parents to make sure their children are always “Visible and Kissable” TM . BCIA members design their products with safety foremost in mind and encourage caregivers to make sure their children are “Visible and Kissable” TM at all times. Baby carriers – including infant slings – are an age-old way to transport children, to promote healthy infant development, and to encourage emotional attachment between parent and baby. BCIA continues to work with industry members and Health Canada on this campaign and anticipates working closely with the CPSC as well.
Contact
Linnea Catalan, Executive Director (BCIA)
director@bcia-dev.mystagingwebsite.com
Further Information
Manufacturer Information: https://babycarrierindustryalliance.org/baby-carrier-manufacturing-101/ Consumer Information: https://babycarrierindustryalliance.org/babywearing-safety/consumers/ https://babycarrierindustryalliance.org/faq-compliance-for-consumers/
Visible & Kissable Industry Use album showing consistent industry messaging: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21APn-vLttkoLEl2M&v=photos&id=89DBBA6A2E203EB1%21405&cid=89DBBA6A2E203EB1