Safe Play: A Team Effort
How the toy industry helps to keep kids safe
By Joan Lawrence -- Gifts and Dec, 4/1/2010 12:00:00 AM
I remember an old commercial that featured a cute, bouncing baby and the tagline “There's a lot riding on your tires.” The same holds true for many of the products we bring into our lives and homes, especially those we give our kids. Toys are the perfect example. They are the tools of play…and play is a vitally important factor in the development of children.
Protecting the safety of children is always a shared responsibility. Toy companies help to keep kids safe by holding themselves to an extraordinarily high standard of care for both their products and their young consumers. In fact, watchdog organizations and government officials who monitor consumer products have agreed that toys are safer today than they have ever been.
Safety is not something that can be added in (or merely tested for) after a toy is made. It is an ongoing process that begins when a new idea is conceived and carries through every step of design and production, through the toy's arrival on a store shelf and then into the home. For example, in addition to the engineers and specialists on staff, toy companies rely on guidelines and testing by outside experts, such as designers, toxicologists, pediatricians, chemists, child psychologists, ophthalmologists and other specialists. The process used to age-grade a toy was developed—and is constantly updated—by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Valuable input is also garnered from children themselves. In controlled test settings, kids are also observed playing with toys to assess the product's durability and age-appropriateness.
Meeting US standards
Any company that wishes to sell toys in the United States must demonstrate that their products meet or exceed all U.S. standards for toy safety. Since the first toy safety requirements were published in the early 1930s, experts from industry, government, consumer groups, retailers, academia and the medical profession have worked together to ensure they remain current. Updates are shaped by the latest child development research, medical and toy-related incident data, risk assessment techniques, scientific reports, and product and manufacturing innovations from around the globe. U.S. standards are recognized among the most stringent toy safety specifications in the world
The cornerstone of U.S. efforts is a standard (ASTM F963) that covers more than 100 separate tests and design specifications to check the safety of toys. By law, companies must adhere to the ASTM specifications and verify compliance with all relevant requirements before the toy can be sold.
To assist in this verification of compliance, toy companies rely on independent laboratories to conduct a wide range of tests for everything from small parts to how the toy is expected to be used (or misused). The labs consider how a toy may be dropped and thrown, pushed and pulled, twisted and bent, and more. They will perform test on paints and stains, liquids, paste, powders, putties and gels to make sure that toys are not dangerous or pose a risk of irritating children's skin, eyes, or mouth. Toys will also be tested to ensure that they don't overheat, short out, administer shocks, or have electrical parts that wear out or release. These tests are conducted on random samples pulled during the manufacturing process and may be repeated again on samples pulled from warehouses where finished toys are stored before being shipped to stores.
The consumer's role in toy safety
Parents, caregivers and other family members play a vital role in the toy safety partnership. But, how do you know which toys are the right ones for your kids? And how do you keep you little ones safe when they are playing?
An important first step for assuring safe and fun play is selecting the right toy to bring home—one that is age appropriate and matches the interests of the child. Additional safety tips are provided in the sidebar accompanying this article.
Even more information on safe and fun play can be found on www.ToyInfo.org, a one-stop online resource for information on toys and play. The site has quickly become a “must visit” destination for all families interested in toys and play.
On behalf of everyone at the Toy Industry Association, we hope you find the site useful and visit it often.
We would love your feedback!
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