T h e seco nd ye a r's work of a three year contract on the Fire H azar ds of Plastics i n Furnitur e a nd F urni s hings is described. Comparison has been made of the behaviour in fire of furniture and furni s hin g s manufactured fr om modern mat er ials and of si mil a r items fr om more traditional mater i a ls. The st udi es of i g niti on behaviour, which were made during the first year of the co ntr a ct, hav e led to investigations of the characteristics of burning once igniti o n has been ac hi eve d, and which are the main s ubj ec ts of the present r e port.  

T h e b u r nin g of individual upholstered chairs and settees, curtains, carpets, beds, and some items m anufactur e d fr o m moulded and rigid pla s tic s foams, w as initiated by i gni tion