Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 1337

The Bunk Beds (Entrapment Hazards) (Safety) Regulations 1987

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© Crown Copyright 1987

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1987   No. 1337

CONSUMER PROTECTION

The Bunk Beds (Entrapment Hazards) (Safety) Regulations 1987

Whereas the Secretary of State has, in accordance with section 1(4) of the Consumer Safety Act 1978^[1], consulted such organisations as appear to him to be substantially affected by these Regulations and such other persons as he considers appropriate:

And whereas a draft of these Regulations has been approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament pursuant to section 7(7) of the said Act of 1978:

Now, therefore, the Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 1 of the said Act, hereby makes the following Regulations:—

    1.    These Regulations may be cited as the Bunk Beds (Entrapment Hazards) (Safety) Regulations 1987 and shall come into force on 1st September 1987.

    2.    In these Regulations —

"bunk bed" means any bed having a sleeping surface which, or any part (including the under-surface) of which, would be 800 millimetres or more vertically above any horizontal surface on which the bed were placed in such a position as would be usual for the purpose of enabling a person to sleep on the bed, and references to "height" in relation to a bunk bed or any part of one shall be construed accordingly;

"mattress" does not include any spring or wire frame intended to support a mattress;

"permissible gap" means —
 (a) in relation to a gap in the sleeping surface of a bunk bed, a gap of not more than 75 millimetres;
 (b) in relation to any other gap in the structure of a bunk bed, a gap of not less than 60 millimetres nor more than 75 millimetres,
where the gap is measured by the method prescribed by the Schedule to these Regulations;

"sleeping surface", in relation to a bunk bed, means the surface, excluding any mattress or upholstery, intended to support a sleeping person.

    3.—(1)  A bunk bed shall be so constructed as to prevent any reasonable possibility of any part of the body of a child under six years of age becoming wedged or trapped in any part of the bed's structure which is at or above the height of any part of the bed's sleeping surface (including the under-surface) so as to give rise to any risk of death or serious personal injury, including, but without prejudice to the generality of that, any risk of strangulation, suffocation or injury to the neck or spinal column.

    (2)  Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1) above and subject to paragraph (3) below, a bunk bed shall be so constructed as to ensure that no gaps, other than permissible gaps, exist at or above the height mentioned in paragraph (1) above—
 (a) in the sleeping surface; or
 (b) in the head-board; or
 (c) in the foot-board; or
 (d) in any retaining structure at the side of the sleeping surface; or
 (e) between the sleeping surface and any of the components mentioned in subparagraphs (a) to (d) above; or
 (f) between any ladder (whether a fixed and permanent part of the bed or designed to be hooked onto the bed) and —
 (i) the sleeping surface; or
 (ii) any of the components mentioned in subparagraphs (a) to (d) above.

    (3)  Nothing in paragraph (2) above shall prevent—
 (a) the existence in a bunk bed of gaps arising from reasonable manufacturing tolerances; or
 (b) the existence of any gap in any retaining structure at the side of the sleeping surface of a bunk bed where the purpose of such a gap is to allow access to that surface by a person intending to sleep on it, provided that any such gap is at least 300 millimetres wide.

    4.    No person shall supply, offer to supply, agree to supply, expose for supply or possess for supply—
 (a) any bunk bed in respect of which any of the requirements of these Regulations are not satisfied or would not be satisfied if any part of the bed intended to be adjusted were adjusted; or
 (b) any collection of components designed or intended to be assembled into a bunk bed if —
 (i) that collection is not accompanied by full and clear instructions indicating the manner in which the components are to be assembled; or
 (ii) where that collection is accompanied by such instructions, the bed, when assembled in accordance with those instructions, would be a bed of the description referred to in subparagraph(a) above.

F. Maude

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry

27th July 1987

[1] 1978 c. 38. back

Explanatory Note