Bunk bed testing

SATRA offers advice regarding European safety standards that apply to bunk beds. 

Bunk beds for sale in the UK should comply with EN 747-1:2012+A1:2015 – 'Furniture – Bunk beds and high beds – Part 1: Safety, strength and durability requirements'. Testing is carried out using the methods in EN 747-2:2012+A1:2015 – 'Furniture – Bunk beds and high beds – Part 2: Test methods'.

In 1999, the UK government published an analysis of accidents in the home, called 'Research on the Pattern and Trends in Home Accidents'. This showed that there were seven bed-related fatalities a year in the UK and 1,000 children are injured after falling from beds. The two EN 747 standards are designed to provide guidance to minimise the risk of accidents to children. UK legislation (Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 1337: The Bunk Beds (Entrapment Hazards) (Safety) Regulations 1987) used to do the same, but these have now been revoked (2012).

These EN standards set specific dimensions concerning permitted gaps between parts such as rails and mattress slats.

One safety issue that is addressed is the risk that any part of the body of a child under six years becomes wedged or trapped at or above the height of any part of the bed’s sleeping surface in a way which may give rise to any risk of death or personal injury.

EN 747-1:2012+A1:2015 includes requirements for 'Instructions for use' and 'Markings'.

SATRA recommends that retailers, importers and manufacturers of bunk beds designed for the UK or other EU markets test to EN 747-1:2012+A1:2015 and EN 747-2:2012+A1:2015.

---