Standards concern safety and health issues. Furniture - by its very nature - is not associated with great risks. Nevertheless, certain products have been deemed sufficiently dangerous by regulators to require the imposition of appropriate safety standards. This applies predominantly to (i) baby and children furniture, (ii) mattresses and upholstered furniture in regards to flammability, and (iii) furniture used in "high risk occupancies", such as detention and correctional facilities, hospitals, mental institutions, school dormitories etc.
Standards are developed and written by Standard Setting Institutions which can be governmental or private sector entities. Regulated or Mandatory Standards are either issued by federal, state, or local governments and defined in laws and regulations, or they are issued by private institutions but referenced in laws or regulations. As a rule, regulated standards apply to the entire supply chain, including manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and other producers/sellers of the product in question.