What you need to know about the fire regulations for contract beds
Beds for residential premises such as hotels and guesthouses have to comply with stricter fire regulations than standard retail beds.
The Crib 5 or Source 5 standards apply to hospitality businesses. This includes holiday parks, holiday lettings, boarding schools, youth hostels, universities and the health care sector.
What is CRIB 5 / Source 5 testing and compliance?
The term “contract furniture” refers to furniture - including beds, mattresses and headboards - that conforms to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988.
The British Standards have different tests that furniture must pass to reduce the risk of ignition and save lives.
In order to provide a bed for commercial use, the product must comply with the following:
- BS EN597-1 (Cigarette)
- BS EN597-2 (Match)
- CRIB 5 - BS7177
The cigarette and match tests involve placing a lit cigarette and a smouldering match on a test rig constructed from furniture materials. If no flames arise and no smouldering occurs, the material passes the test.
CRIB 5 is a flame-retardant test. Contract furniture is treated and manufactured to make it more resistant to fire.
It is the supplier's duty to ensure contract furniture passes each test. Compliance with the CRIB 5 test is indicated by a green information label. It is illegal to sell furniture without fire labels.
How is the CRIB 5 / Source 5 test performed?
The so-called crib is a miniature representation of a piece of furniture. Fabric is wrapped over blocks of wood with foam inserts. The blocks need to be five high. There is a larger CRIB 7 test (seven blocks high) required for prison cells. Domestic use requires testing to flame source level 1 of fire resistance.
To pass the CRIB 5 test, the material must extinguish itself within 10 minutes of being set alight. Flames must also not pass through to the foam inlay.
What are the consequences of not complying with BS7177?
It is an offence to use contract mattresses and contract beds that have not met BS7177 standards for commercial use.
Purchasing or maintaining furniture which has passed the CRIB 5 could also be extremely dangerous and invalidate insurance in a residential setting.
For more information about our Source 5 furniture range, contact our expert sales team.