High Chair Safety Standards Changing To Require 3-Point Harness

WASHINGTON, DC (CBS13) - High chairs used both at home and at restaurants will need to have a three-point restraint system and include a passive crotch restraint, as well as requirements for rearward stability.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission approved the new standard Tuesday, June 12. It will go into effect 12 months after the final rule is published in the Federal Register- which is a daily journal of the United States Government. All high chairs made or imported on or after that date must follow the new mandatory high chair standard.

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According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were 1,842 high chair incidents reported between January 2011 and September 2017. Many of those incidents were due to children falling as they tried to climb in or out of the high chair, the chair tipping over as a child pushed back or rocked back and forth, or when a piece of the high chair malfunctioned.

From 2015 through 2016, there were an estimated 18,500 high chair-related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments, according to CPSC's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS).

ASTM International previously adopted voluntary high chair standards for manufacturers. The new federal standards match those voluntary requirements.