Restaurant Owners: Do Your High Chairs Meet Safety Standards?

​New Federal Guidelines Boost Child High Chair Safety

If your restaurant caters to families, you likely have a few high chairs and booster seats stashed behind the server station. Although you might not think about those items too often, offering unsafe high chairs to guests can result in injury along with serious financial liability. Here’s what you need to know about new safety standards for high chairs approved by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in summer 2018. These standards take effect June 19, 2019, and apply to all imported or manufactured high chairs in the U.S. after that date.

Changes to Previous Regulations

​Under the new CPSC high chair regulations, known as the ASTM-F404-18 standard, new child seats must include comprehensive warning labels outlining safe use. They must have a stable design that prevents the chair from tipping backward, a passive restraint system between the legs, smaller leg openings and a three-point restraint system. Manufacturers must provide a product registration system so high chair users can sign up for notifications about safety recalls.
 
These updates reduce the risk of a child climbing or falling out of the chair or tipping over while in the seat and were developed by ASTM International (formerly the American Society of Testing Materials). They apply to all free-standing seats with a seat more than 15 inches above the floor designed for use by a child age 3 or younger. Both high chair designs with and without a tray are covered by these guidelines.

Risks Associated With High Chair Use

​Although most parents use high chairs without a second thought, these seats do carry a limited risk of injury. The CPSC reports that 18,500 high chair injuries were treated in U.S. emergency rooms during 2015 and 2016. The most common injuries include internal injuries, contusions, lacerations and broken bones, although some children experienced concussion or skull fracture.
 
The new standards were created to address issues such as a lack of stability that allows the chairs to tip over when a child is rocking back and forth or attempts to climb out of the seat. The new crotch restraint guideline prevents children from sliding out under the waist restraint. 

Required Steps for Restaurants

Restaurant owners and managers do not need to replace their current high chairs, although they may choose to do so to avoid liability and preserve guest security. When you do replace the high chairs, however, you must ensure that the new seats meet the updated 2019 safety standards. You can also let customers know about the changes so they can be vigilant about their children’s safety when using a high chair during a meal.
 
You should also retire high chairs that are no longer safe for use. This includes chairs with broken or damaged frames, loose screws, torn seat supports, frayed or broken restraints, loose tray locks and other issues that could endanger a child safety. Rely only on seats that have a three-point harness and have the instruction manual on hand so hosts can instruct clients on how to use the seats safely.
 
In Northern California, CASCO is your restaurant service and repair experts. Contact us today  to learn more about our services and request a service call.
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