Micom Laboratories Interviewed On Murphy Beds’ Safety by La Facture
The growing popularity of Murphy beds in recent years has unfortunately led to an increase in safety-related incidents, such as serious injuries and even fatalities. Since 2022, over 200,000 retractable beds have been recalled in the USA and Canada, with 160 injuries and two deaths recorded in connection with these recalls.
A news segment on Radio-Canada’s La Facture on October 8 highlighted the need for stricter standards to protect users, as demonstrated by the tragic death of a 5-year-old child and several similar incidents.
Michel Comtois, owner of Micom Laboratories and expert in furniture testing, was interviewed about ISO 10131, a standard recommended by coroners that consists of a series of tests to assess product strength and safety. For example, Murphy beds must withstand 10,000 opening and closing cycles without breaking and must not close or open unexpectedly on people. However, this standard is not mandatory and few manufacturers obtain it. Micom’s success rate in testing this type of product is also very low.
Asked why so few manufacturers test their retractable beds, Michel replied:
Because it’s not required. There’s no driving force to motivate manufacturers. On the contrary, unfortunately, there’s a lot of Asian competition and pressure on prices.
ISO 10131 Testing Offered by Micom Laboratories
As the only independent laboratory in Canada to offer testing to ISO 10131 standard, Micom Laboratories performs extensive testing to assess the strength of Murphy beds. This testing process is particularly important given recurring incidents, which include serious injuries and preventable deaths. The rigor of our testing contributes significantly to improving the safety of these products.
To find out more about this interview and the dangers of Murphy beds, read the full article or watch the news story, both in French, on Radio Canada.
If you’d like to learn more about our safety testing services and the ISO 10131 standard, please don’t hesitate to contact us, visit our website, or take a look at our page dedicated to foldaway and Muphy beds here: ISO 10131 Foldaway beds – Safety Requirements and Tests
