Industry Guide to Canadian Requirements for Carpets and Other Textile Floor Coverings

2008
ISBN: 978-0-662-05531-0
Cat. No.: H128-1/08-522
HC Pub.: 4411

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Table of Contents

• Preface
• Legislation
  • Flammability Requirements and Test Methods
  • Labelling Requirements
    • Figure 1: Summary of Flammability and Labelling Requirements for Textile Floor Coverings
• Indoor Air Quality ("Green Label") Carpet Testing Program
• Appendix A - List of Health Canada Product Safety Offices
• Appendix B - Canadian Testing Laboratories
• Appendix C - Information Resources

Preface

The intent of this document is to:

• explain the flammability and labelling requirements for textile floor coverings
• describe the test methods for determining the flammability of textile floor coverings
• provide information on the Canadian Carpet Institute's (CCI) Indoor Air Quality ("Green Label") Carpet Testing Program

This document may be updated from time to time. For the most recent version, consult Reports and Publications in the Consumer Product Safety (CPS) section of Health Canada's Web site at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/cps.

This document is an unofficial summary of the requirements for textile floor coverings. It is not intended to substitute for, supersede or limit the requirements under the applicable legislation. In case of any discrepancy between this summary and the legislation, the legislation will prevail. For further information or specific questions, requests or clarification, contact a Health Canada Product Safety Office (refer to Appendix A - List of Health Canada Product Safety Offices).

Legislation

Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety (CPS) program works with stakeholders to protect consumers and children from product-related hazards and to promote the safe use of products. Part I of the Hazardous Products Act (HPA) provides the authority to prohibit or restrict the advertising, sale and importation of a variety of hazardous products; it is the legislation employed by CPS to establish regulatory controls.The onus is on industry to comply with the legislation. Enforcement actions taken by Product Safety Officers on noncompliant products depend on the degree of hazard associated with noncompliance, and include commitment to product correction by industry, negotiation with industry for the voluntary removal of these products from the market, and seizure and/or prosecution under the HPA. Any person that advertises, sells or imports noncompliant products that result in property damage, injury or death may also be subject to legal liability.

Textile floor coverings advertised, sold or imported into Canada are subject to the HPA requirements for flammability and labelling.

• Item 29 of Part II of Schedule I to the HPA sets out flammability requirements for textile floor coverings that have not been treated with a fire retardant.
• Item 30 of Part II of Schedule I to the HPA sets out flammability requirements for textile floor coverings that have been treated with a fire retardant.
• Labelling requirements for textile floor coverings that do not comply with the flammability requirements are set out in the Hazardous Products (Carpet) Regulations.

The fire hazard associated with ignition of a textile floor covering depends not only on its flammability, but on its ability to spread a fire to other materials that can burn.

• Textile floor coverings that cover a large indoor floor area (such as broadloom, large carpets or carpet tiles) have a high ability to spread a fire.They must comply with the flammability requirements.
• Textile floor coverings that cover a small indoor floor area (such as small rugs or mats) and textile floor coverings for outdoor use, regardless of size, present a lesser fire hazard. They must comply with the flammability requirements OR if they do not comply with the flammability requirements, they must comply with the labelling requirements.

Flammability Requirements and Test Methods

A textile floor covering consisting of 48 specimens, each measuring not less than 23 cm × 23 cm (9" × 9"), must be tested in accordance with the normal sequential sampling plan set out in the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) 4-GP-155 (1974), Standard for Flammability of Soft Floor Coverings - Sampling Plans, and the flame resistance test method set out in CGSB 4-GP-2 (1971), Method 27.6 of the Canadian Standard Textile Test Methods, Method of Test for Flame Resistance - Methenamine Tablet Test. A textile floor covering that has been treated with a fire retardant must also be subject to removal of the fire retardant finish prior to being tested for flame resistance, using the method set out in CGSB 4-GP-2 (1971), Method 30.2 of the Canadian Standard Textile Test Methods, Procedure for the Removal of Flame Retardant Treatments on Textile Floor Coverings.

The test methods are available in Health Canada's Product Safety Reference Manual, Book 5 - Laboratory Policies and Procedures, Method F-04 (2004), Test Method for Evaluating Textile Floor Coverings for Flame Resistance. For the Web site address, refer to Appendix C - Information Resources, on page 21 of this document.

In brief, 48 specimens are cut from the textile floor covering and, where applicable, the fire retardant finish is removed. The specimens are then conditioned, dried and brought to room temperature. A randomly selected specimen is placed horizontally in a test chamber in a draft free environment and a steel frame is placed on top of the specimen. A methenamine tablet is placed in the centre of the specimen and lit. After all combustion has ceased, the shortest distance between the charred area of the specimen and the inside edge of the frame is measured.

A specimen passes if the shortest distance between the charred area of the specimen and the inside edge of the frame is greater than 25.4 mm (1"), and fails if the distance is less than or equal to 25.4 mm (1").

A minimum of 10 specimens to a maximum of 48 specimens are tested to determine whether a textile floor covering passes (is accepted) or fails (is rejected), in accordance with the sampling plan in Appendix III of Method F-04, which is reproduced in part below. A pass signifies that the textile floor covering complies with the flammability requirements.

Tablet test	Number of specimens tested	Cumulative number of specimens tested	ACCEPT if cumulative number of specimen failures equals or is less than	CONTINUE TESTING if cumulative number of specimen failures is in this range	REJECT if cumulative number of specimen failures equals or exceeds
1st set	10	10	0	1-10	--
2nd set	3	13	1	2-13	--
3rd set	3	16	2	3-15	16
4th set	3	19	3	4-15	16
5th set	3	22	4	5-15
6th set	3	25	5
7th set	3	28
8th set	3

The flammability of a textile floor covering is difficult to predict because it depends on a variety of factors such as fibre content, yarn construction, dyes and finishes. For example, textile floor coverings made of highly flammable fibres such as cotton or jute do not necessarily fail, whereas textile floor coverings made of less flammable fibres such as acrylic do not always pass. Textile floor coverings made of a blend of two or more fibres generally display flammability characteristics that are different from those of the individual fibres, and some blends may be more flammable than each fibre.

The flammability of a textile floor covering must be confirmed by testing.

For a partial list of laboratories that provide testing services for textile floor coverings, refer to Appendix B - Canadian Testing Laboratories.

Labelling Requirements

The labelling requirements set out in the Hazardous Products (Carpet) Regulations depend on the textile floor covering's flammability, size (large or small) and location of use (indoor or outdoor), as outlined below. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions apply.

• Large textile floor coverings (including carpet tiles) for indoor use

  These must comply with the flammability requirements to be advertised, sold or imported into Canada.There are no labelling requirements.

• Small textile floor coverings (for indoor and/or outdoor use)

  If these comply with the flammability requirements, they can be advertised, sold or imported into Canada.There are no labelling requirements.

  If these do not comply with the flammability requirements, they can be advertised or sold in Canada if they are labelled with the following statement in English and French, as per section 4 of the Hazardous Products (Carpet) Regulations:

  • Caution - Flammable - Do not use in locations exposed to open flame or sources of intense heat.
  • Attention - Inflammable - Tenir éloigné de la flamme ou d'une source de chaleur intense.

  The label must be clearly and prominently displayed to the consumer at the time of purchase, as per sections 6 and 7 of the Hazardous Products (Carpet) Regulations.

  A small textile floor covering that does not comply with the flammability requirements may be imported into Canada without the required labelling provided that it is labelled as required before being advertised or sold, as per section 8 of the Hazardous Products (Carpet) Regulations.

• Large textile floor coverings (including carpet tiles) for outdoor use

  If these comply with the flammability requirements, they can be advertised, sold or imported into Canada. There are no labelling requirements.

  If these do not comply with the flammability requirements, they can be advertised or sold in Canada if they are labelled with the following statement in English and French, as per section 5 of the Hazardous Products (Carpet) Regulations:

  • Caution - Flammable - Do not use in locations exposed to open flame or sources of intense heat. Do not use indoors.
  • Attention - Inflammable - Tenir éloigné de la flamme ou d'une source de chaleur intense. Ne pas utiliser à l'intérieur.

  The label must be clearly and prominently displayed to the consumer at the time of purchase, as per sections 6 and 7 of the Hazardous Products (Carpet) Regulations.

  A textile floor covering for outdoor use that does not comply with the flammability requirements may be imported into Canada without the required labelling provided that it is labelled as required before being advertised or sold, as per section 8 of the Hazardous Products (Carpet) Regulations.

  Large textile floor coverings (including carpet tiles) for both indoor and outdoor use must satisfy the requirements for large textile floor coverings for indoor use.

Textile floor coverings advertised, sold or imported into Canada are also subject to federal labelling requirements set out in the Textile Labelling Act and the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations as well as the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations administered and enforced by the Competition Bureau of Industry Canada, as well as any applicable provincial requirements for labelling.

Labelling of textile floor coverings to show the presence of a fire retardant is not required.

Labelling to show or imply compliance with the flammability requirements is not permitted.

For more information on legislative requirements for textile floor coverings, refer to Appendix C - Information Resources.

Figure 1: Summary of Flammability and Labelling Requirements for Textile Floor Coverings

Indoor Air Quality ("Green Label") Carpet Testing Program

Indoor air quality is important to Canadians, who spend about 90% of their time indoors on average. Exposure to indoor air pollutants can cause a number of health problems such as respiratory symptoms and allergies. In the public interest, the Canadian Carpet Institute (CCI) adopted the United States Carpet and Rug Institute's (CRI) Indoor Air Quality Testing Program for Carpets in the early 1990's in an effort to minimize chemical emissions from new carpets.

In this voluntary industry program, textile floor coverings are tested for total organic compounds, formaldehyde, 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PC) and styrene in accordance with methodology recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ASTM International (ASTM D5116, Standard Guide for Small-Scale Environmental Chamber Determinations of Organic Emissions from Indoor Materials/ Products).Textile floor coverings that meet the emission criteria are allowed to display the "Green Label" logo, which assures consumers that the product is low-emitting and helps with their buying decisions.

Industry members who are not currently involved in the Indoor Air Quality ("Green Label") Carpet Testing Program are encouraged to do so. To participate or obtain more information about this program, refer to the CCI Web site listed in Appendix C - Information Resources.

Appendix A - List of Health Canada Product Safety Offices

British Columbia and Yukon

Serves these States in the US: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington

Alberta and Northwest Territories

Serves these States in the US: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming

Manitoba and Saskatchewan

Serves these States in the US: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin

Ontario and Nunavut

Serves these States in the US: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, North Carolina

Quebec

Serves these States in the US: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

Atlantic

Serves these States/District in the US: Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia

National

Serves locations outside of Canada and the US:

Appendix B

Canadian Testing Laboratories

NOTICE: This listing of laboratories implies no certification or endorsement by Health Canada, nor is it necessarily a complete listing of all laboratories in Canada that provide testing services for textile floor coverings.

Alberta and Northwest Territories

Ontario and Nunavut

Quebec

National

Appendix C

Information Resources

NOTICE: For further information, contact a Health Canada Product Safety Office (refer to Appendix A - List of Health Canada Product Safety Offices ) or visit the following:

• Consumer Product Safety (CPS)
  www.healthcanada.gc.ca/cps
• Hazardous Products Act and Hazardous Products (Carpet) Regulations
  laws.justice.gc.ca/en/H-3/index.html
• Health Canada (2004). Product Safety Reference Manual, Book 5 - Laboratory Policies and Procedures, Method F-04, Test Method for Evaluating Textile Floor Coverings for Flame Resistance
  www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/prod-test-essai/method/inflammab/f-04-eng.php
• Competition Bureau of Industry Canada. Textile Labelling Act, Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations, Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations
  www.competitionbureau.gc.ca
• Canadian Carpet Institute (CCI)
  www.canadiancarpet.org
• ASTM D5116-97, Standard Guide for Small-Scale Environmental Chamber Determinations of Organic Emissions from Indoor Materials/Products
  www.astm.org