Toy Assn. Debuts Safety Certification Program
By Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 10/8/2009 12:46:00 PM
New York – The Toy Industry Association (TIA) launched its Toy Safety Certification Program to help assure compliance with the federal Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. The Program was developed by TIA with assistance and support from independent safety authorities and input from consumer organizations. The TSCP will be administered by TIA. Toy companies can apply for certification of their products; toys certified under the program will appear on retail shelves in 2010.
Manufacturers and importers must demonstrate that they’ve taken steps in design and manufacturing to assure that their toys meet the U.S. safety standards, in addition to testing production samples as required by law. TSCP certification signifies that manufacturers have performed analysis of their toy designs to identify and correct safety issues, assessed quality control processes at production facilities, and performed the prescribed safety tests on product samples using accredited laboratories. Certificates are available for review and use by U.S. regulatory authorities as required by law, and also by retailers and eventually consumers.
The TSCP also fulfills the testing requirements that have been previously imposed by many retailers. Retailers have been involved in development of the program; several major retailers have pledged to accept TSCP certification to meet their overlapping requirements once the program has been fully implemented.
The CPSC is expected to hold a public meeting to review the TSCP in the near future. By November 14, the CPSC must establish protocols and standards for ensuring that a children’s product tested for compliance with an applicable standard is subject to testing on a regular schedule and also when there has been a material change in the product’s design or manufacturing process. Historically, CPSC has given recognition to industry-administered compliance programs once they are satisfied with their reliability.
Certification bodies accredited by the American National Standards Institute under internationally recognized standards and practices are responsible for verifying that the certification requirements of the TSCP have been met by participating toy companies and private labelers. ANSI has sole responsibility for accrediting TSCP certification bodies.
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