[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 16, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 16CFR1213.3]

[Page 358]
 
                     TITLE 16--COMMERCIAL PRACTICES
 
             CHAPTER II--CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
 
PART 1213_SAFETY STANDARD FOR ENTRAPMENT HAZARDS IN BUNK BEDS--Table 
of Contents
 
Sec.  1213.3  Requirements.

    (a) Guardrails. (1) Any bunk bed shall provide at least two 
guardrails, at least one on each side of the bed, for each bed having 
the underside of its foundation more than 30 inches (760 mm) from the 
floor.
    (2) One guardrail shall be continuous between each of the bed's end 
structures. ``Continuous'' means that any gap between the guardrail and 
end structure shall not exceed 0.22 inches (5.6 mm) (so as to not cause 
a finger entrapment hazard for a child).
    (3) The other guardrail may terminate before reaching the bed's end 
structures, providing there is no more than 15 inches (380 mm) between 
either end of the guardrail and the nearest bed end structures.
    (4) For bunk beds designed to have a ladder attached to one side of 
the bed, the continuous guardrail shall be on the other side of the bed.
    (5) Guardrails shall be attached so that they cannot be removed 
without either intentionally releasing a fastening device or applying 
forces sequentially in different directions.
    (6) The upper edge of the guardrails shall be no less than 5 inches 
(130 mm) above the top surface of the mattress when a mattress of the 
maximum thickness specified by the bed manufacturer's instructions is on 
the bed. This requirement does not prohibit a wall-side guardrail that 
terminates in a quarter-circle bend and attaches to the side rail of the 
upper bunk foundation.
    (7) With no mattress on the bed, there shall be no openings in the 
structure between the lower edge of the uppermost member of the 
guardrail and the underside of the upper bunk's foundation that would 
permit passage of the wedge block shown in Figure 1 of this part when 
tested in accordance with the procedure at Sec.  1213.4(a).
    (b) Bed end structures. (1) The upper edge of the upper bunk end 
structures shall be at least 5 inches (130 mm) above the top surface of 
the mattress for at least 50 percent of the distance between the two 
posts at the head and foot of the upper bunk when a mattress and 
foundation of the maximum thickness specified by the manufacturer's 
instructions is on the bed.
    (2) With no mattress on the bed, there shall be no openings in the 
end structures above the foundation of the upper bunk that will permit 
the free passage of the wedge block shown in Figure 1 when tested in 
accordance with the procedure at Sec.  1213.4(b).
    (3) When tested in accordance with Sec.  1213.4(c), there shall be 
no openings in the end structures between the underside of the 
foundation of the upper bunk and upper side of the foundation of the 
lower bunk that will permit the free passage of the wedge block shown in 
Figure 1, unless the openings are also large enough to permit the free 
passage of a 9-inch (230-mm) diameter rigid sphere.
    (4) All portions of the boundary of any opening required by 
Sec.  Sec.  1213.4(c)(1) and (2) to be probed by the wedge block of 
Figure 1, and that permits free passage of a 9-inch diameter sphere, 
must conform to the neck entrapment requirements of Sec.  1213.4(c)(3).