Improvement of a methodological approach to assessing the fire hazard of mattresses

Introduction. Textile materials and products (upholstered furniture, curtains, bedding, decorative items, etc.) are among the most flammable materials in residential and public buildings. They largely affect the fire propagation speed and formation of dangerous fire factors in combustion. Therefore, the issues of improving the requirements governing their fire-safe use are particularly relevant. Aims and purposes. Presently, the fire safety of furniture products is regulated by the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union 025/2012 «On safety of furniture products» in Russia. However, differences in testing procedures and evaluation criteria, demonstrated by the applicable standards, do not always allow objectively assessing the flammability of upholstered furniture products and predicting their behaviour in case of fire. There is also no method for assessing the flammability of mattresses, and the currently used testing method, set by GOST R 53294–2009 (p. 5) cannot ensure a correct assessment and, hence, it results are distorted. The purpose of this work is to conduct an analytical study on foreign regulatory frameworks for the fire-safe use of upholstered furniture elements in public and residential buildings, to make an experimental assessment of the flammability parameters of materials and upholstered furniture, as well as develop proposals for improving the methodological approach to the fire hazard assessment and the use of mattresses in public and residential buildings. Results and discussion. The analytical studies have proven that fairly developed regulatory and methodological frameworks are in effect abroad. They ensure the fire-safe use of items of upholstered furniture on the premises of residential and public buildings and structures. Comparative experimental studies were conducted to assess the flammability of various composite combinations of mattresses and upholstered elements of furniture using GOST R 53294–2009 methods (p. 4 and 5), which identified large discrepancies between the test results due to the difference in the conditions of the thermal exposure in the course of testing. Conclusions. It is necessary to develop and introduce a standard method of testing the flammability of mattresses into the domestic regulatory practice. It is advisable to set the requirements limiting the use of flammable elements of upholstered furniture in places of the mass presence of people to reduce fire propagation in case of ignition and formation of dangerous factors.