The changes to the standard were mostly to require that compliance be compulsory rather than voluntary. Hartmobility had always designed its products to be intrinsically safe for the customers to use and met the voluntary standard. The main changes we have made to meet the new requirements are mostly in the product and packaging labeling and test record collation.
The CPSC wants to highlight entrapment risks for use with bed rails. Many of the bed rails on the market today are poorly designed, and the risk of entrapment is high, which can, in certain circumstances, lead to serious injury or death. Hartmobility has always designed its products to minimize the risk of entrapment. In fact, some of the testing required to ensure the products meet the standard is not applicable to Hartmobility bed rails as the product was designed to avoid entrapment entirely.
The ruling changes will affect many of the current bed rails available. Because of their design, the risk of entrapment means these products will have to undergo a manufacturing design change. We envisage that many current products will disappear, most likely at the lower-priced end of the market. Distributors and resellers will need to ensure that when they sell bed rails, the products they promote meet the standard.
As a manufacturer of adult portable bed rails, Hartmobility ensures that all of its products, packaging, and installation instructions clearly state the risks of entrapment.