Residential Bunk Bed Child Entrapment Hazard Safety Test Methods

Abstract

A human factors accident reconstruction was conducted to analyze the circumstances surrounding a residential consumer bunk bed death involving a two-year-old boy who became trapped between the upper bunk and the top rung of the ladder. An anthropomorphic child dummy and an ASTM bunk bed standard child torso test probe were used to analyze the flexibility of the bunk bed ladder brackets and the gap between the brackets and the upper bed frame that allowed the ladder to lift and tilt, creating a child entrapment hazard. The primary goal of this investigation is to identify alternative safety test methods and designs to reduce the risk associated with these types of injuries and to make consumer bunk bed designers, manufacturers, distributors, sellers, safety standard agencies, testing laboratories, furniture industry associations, consumer safety organizations, pediatricians, and users more aware of the bunk bed ladder tilting/repositioning child entrapment danger.