New regulations make bunk beds safer, but caution still necessary

Thanks to new design requirements, bunk beds sold in the United States today are safer than ever — but parents still need to exercise caution to prevent bunk bed-related injuries among children and adolescents, according to the American Home Furnishings Alliance.

Falls are the most common cause of bunk bed-related injuries, according to a study released recently by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The study included data for patients treated in emergency rooms for bunk bed-related injuries from 1990 through 2005.

Despite the furniture industry’s warning that children under 6 years of age should not be allowed on an upper bunk, half of all injuries reported in the study were among children younger than 5 years old.

In 97 percent of all cases reported, the children were treated for their injuries and released. Only 3 percent of the injuries required hospitalization or further observation.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission updated its mandatory requirements for bunk beds in 2000, addressing hazards associated with falls and entrapment. New requirements included guardrails around the entire top bunk (with a 15-inch opening permitted for entering and exiting), specifications for how those guardrails are attached and a limit on mattress thickness (the guardrail must extend at least 5 inches above the top of the mattress).

In addition, the commission worked with ASTM International on a new voluntary construction standard for bunk beds that took effect this year.

“This voluntary standard limits the use of a corner post, finial or any other type of ‘vertical protrusion’ in the design of a bunk bed,” states Bill Perdue, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance who served as chairman of the ASTM subcommittee that worked on the standard. “The restriction was written to reduce the possibility of something a child is wearing or carrying catching on the bed as the child exits the upper bunk.”

Around 4 percent of bunk bed injuries are ladder-related. Another 12 percent result from accidentally hitting some portion of the bed (most often head injuries and most often among 14- to 21-year-olds). Nine percent of the injuries result when youngsters jump off the bed.

“Bunk beds remain a popular choice when furnishing a child’s room,” Perdue points out. “However, when bunk beds — or any other beds in the house — are used for play instead of sleep, accidents can and will occur.”

Information courtesy American Home Furnishings Alliance