SOR/2016-185 Tent Regulation - Flammability and Labeling Requirements

The regulation “SOR/2016-185 Tent regulation - Flammability and labeling requirements” published by the Canadian government under the “Legal orders and regulations (SOR)” includes the existing flammability and fire safety labeling requirements in tent regulations. In this regulation, the flammability and labeling requirements for tents are replaced with contemporary requirements. Meanwhile, work is underway to add flammability performance and fire safety labeling requirements to the toy regulations for children’s play tents that are not intended to be used as outdoor shelters. The Canadian government is excluding such tents from the tent regulations. At the same time, changes are on the agenda for textile flammability regulations to exclude products regulated under the toy regulations from these regulations.

Today, the flammability performance and fire safety labeling of play tents is regulated under “SOR/2016-185 Tent regulations.” The purpose of this legislation is to protect the public by addressing or preventing hazards to human health or safety posed by consumer products, including those circulating in Canada and those imported.

The flammability performance and fire safety labeling requirements under the tent regulations have been revised by reference to the standard “CAN/CGSB-182.1-2020 Flammability and labeling requirements for tents” developed by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB). In addition, appropriate flammability performance and fire safety labeling requirements have been added under the toy regulations for the regulation of play tents that are not intended for use as outdoor shelters. These products are defined in the amended toy regulations as toys intended for a child to enter and are subject to the flammability performance standard “ISO 8124-2 Toy Safety - Part 2: Flammability”.

The CAN/CGSB-182.1-2020 regulation also proposes fire safety labeling requirements to warn caregivers to keep toys intended for a child away from sources of heat or open flame.

The SOR/2016-185 regulation is known as the tent regulations. The primary purpose of this standard is to establish flammability and labeling requirements for tents to increase consumer safety by reducing fire hazards associated with tent materials. This regulation applies to consumer tents designed for outdoor use, including camping tents, backpacking tents, tent trailers, ice fishing tents, food shelters, sun shelters and screen houses. Tents designed for indoor use only and subject to the Canadian national building code are excluded from the scope of this regulation.

Key requirements of this regulation include:

• Flammability standards: To minimise fire risks, tent materials are required to meet certain flammability performance criteria.
• Labeling: Clear labeling is necessary to inform consumers about the tent's fire safety features.

In 2024, the Canadian government introduced updated Tent regulations SOR/2016-185, which repeal and replace regulation SOR/2024-217. This regulation incorporates contemporary safety standards, specifically CAN/CGSB-182.1-2020, which addresses flammability and labeling requirements for tents.

The updated regulations aim to increase protection against the dangers of tent fires by improving flammability testing methodologies. Manufacturers are provided with a transition period to comply with the new requirements, ensuring a smooth transition to the updated standards.

In summary, SOR/2016-185 played a significant role in defining safety standards for tents in Canada. The introduction of SOR/2024-217 reflects ongoing efforts to modernize these regulations, aligning them with current industry practices and materials to further protect consumers.

The main reasons why the SOR/2016-185 standard is so important are:

• Reducing fire hazards: Tents are often made of synthetic, flammable materials and are used in environments where people are cooking, lighting fires, or using stoves and heaters. Without proper arrangements, tent fabrics can ignite quickly and pose a serious threat to occupants. SOR/2016-185 includes flammability performance requirements that allow materials to burn more slowly or self-extinguish, giving users time to escape.
• Consumer protection: This regulation is designed to protect consumers from injury or death due to rapidly spreading fires in tents. It is intended to minimize the risk of accidental fires during recreational activities such as camping.
• Product safety standardization: Prior to the SOR/2016-185 regulation, tent manufacturers followed varying or outdated fire safety practices. This regulation introduced uniform test methods and thresholds for flame resistance, helping to ensure consistent product safety across brands and models.
• Applicable to all types of tents: This regulation covers everything from small camping tents to large screen houses and sun shelters. It provides ample protection for different use cases, from outdoor camping to backyard use.
• Clear consumer information: This regulation requires specific labeling on tents to warn users about the danger of fire and the need to keep heat sources away. It has helped raise awareness among users, especially in family or group settings where safety planning is vital.
• Legal framework and enforcement: This regulation provides a legal basis for monitoring, inspecting and recalling non-compliant tents.

Our organization, which has been trying to support businesses from every sector with its wide range of testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies for years, has a strong staff that closely follows the developments in the world in the field of science and technology and constantly improves itself. In this context, testing services are also provided to businesses within the scope of “SOR/2016-185 Tent Regulation - Flammability and Labeling Requirements”.