The revision of “Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety” (F963-16) has come into effect in the United States.
The standard was revised by standards organization ASTM International and approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission—making the standard mandatory.
The standard is used by manufacturers, importers, and retailers to design and sell products that comply with laws such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Act and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Regulatory bodies and testing laboratories use the standard for toy certification and other purposes.
Joan Lawrence, senior vice president of standards and regulatory affairs at the Toy Association Inc., and chair of the subcommittee on toy safety (F15.22), said they “identified parts of the 2011 standard that needed clarification, updating, or alignment.
“We also looked at potential emerging safety issues, new product features, and new ways that toys are being used that may pose a risk to children,” Lawrence said.
The updated standard includes:
- New requirements to the section on battery safety
- Soaking and compression tests for magnets
- Changes to requirements for toys that involve projectiles
- New requirements for materials and toys that could expand if accidentally swallowed
- New requirements and clarifications related to microbiological safety
- Clarifications to requirements related to heavy elements in the substrate materials of toys and the addition of an optional, alternate test method for total screen testing.
- A new curb impact requirement, a clarification of overload and stability requirements, and a strap exemption for ride-on toys.
- Clarification of requirements and supplemental guidance for impact hazards
Additional clarifications to the toy safety standard are in process and will be issued in upcoming versions.