UK Statutory Instrument SI 1988 United Kingdom

Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988

These Regulations (“the Regulations”) which revoke the Upholstered Furniture (Safety) Regulations 1980 as amended by the Upholstered Furniture (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations 1983 impose requirements in relation to new domestic furniture, including garden furniture which may be used indoors and furniture for use in caravans, subject to exceptions from some of …

Read it on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Status
In Force
Penalty ceiling
Prosecution 6 of 10 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 4 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Does it bind you?

Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.

Any Person5 Trader3 Manufacturer2

Other Acts binding the same actors

If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.

Any Person — also bound by 2340 other Acts
Trader — also bound by 825 other Acts
Companies Act 2006 243 duties
Companies Act 1985 85 duties
Manufacturer — also bound by 502 other Acts

What it requires

Regulations creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.

reg.i reg.i Regulated
  • Supply fire safety information to enforcement authorities on requestManufacturer
s.005 Upholstery (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Ensure furniture upholstery passes the required cigarette safety testsTrader

Unlimited fine

s.006 Filling material (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Ensure all furniture filling materials meet fire safety standardsTrader

Unlimited fine

s.007 Loose fillings (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Ensure loose furniture fillings meet fire safety standardsAny Person

Unlimited fine

s.008 Permanent Covers (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Ensure furniture covers pass mandatory fire safety match testsAny Person
s.009 Covers other than permanent covers (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Ensure non-permanent furniture covers pass required fire safety testsTrader

Unlimited fine

s.011 Permanent labels (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Attach permanent fire safety labels to furniture and coversManufacturer

Unlimited fine

s.015 Prohibition on supply (opens in a new tab) Prosecution
  • Do not supply furniture that fails fire safety standardsAny Person

Unlimited fine

19 other provisions — procedural and definitional
reg.e reg.e
reg.h reg.h
reg.k reg.k
sch. 2 sch. 2
sch. 7 para. 1 sch. 7 para. 1
sch. 7 para. 4 sch. 7 para. 4
sch. 7 para. 5 sch. 7 para. 5
sch. 7 para. 6 sch. 7 para. 6
s.001 Citation and Commencement (opens in a new tab)
s.002 Revocation (opens in a new tab)
s.003 Interpretation (opens in a new tab)
s.004 Exclusion of goods made before 1950 and of supply of materials for re-upholstery of furniture made before that date and of goods for export
s.004 The foam under test, cut to the specified dimensions is... (opens in a new tab)
s.010 Display labels (opens in a new tab)
s.012 Requirement to give information (opens in a new tab)
s.013 First suppliers: requirement to give information (opens in a new tab)
s.014 Second-hand furniture (opens in a new tab)
s.016 Time limit for proceedings for offences
s.paragraph/1 Labelling requirements
Schedules

Schedules

2 of 14 shown
s.sch003 An interliner which is a fabric that has been treated... Regulated
  • Perform water-soaking test on fire-retardant interliner before conditioningAny Person
s.sch004 All braids and other trimmings shall be removed from material... Regulated
  • Remove braids and trimmings from material before testingAny Person
12 other schedules
s.004 THE CIGARETTE TEST (opens in a new tab)
s.sch003 The interliner, water-soaked or not as the case may be,...
s.sch003 The fabric shall be made from 100 per cent flame...
s.sch003 The filling material for the test shall be non fire-retardant...
s.sch003 The criteria of failure shall be those specified in clause...
s.sch004 The smouldering cigarette test specified in BS 5852: Part I shall be conducted subject to the following modifications.
s.sch004 Any covering fabric or fire-barrier material which has been treated...
s.sch004 Where a test is to be conducted in respect of...
s.sch004 Where the upholstery to be tested is such that the...
s.sch004 Where seams are exposed as part of the design of...
s.sch005 The test shall be carried out in accordance with those...
s.sch005 The criteria of failure shall be those specified in clause...

Help complying

Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.

Sector-specific product safety regulations

Quick reference for the main sector-specific product safety regulations in Great Britain. Covers toys, electrical equipment, cosmetics, furniture, personal protective equipment, and …
3 more guides that reference this instrument
Fire safety duties for landlords of residential properties Furniture manufacturer: compliance checklist Meet the furniture fire-safety and product-safety rules

Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.