Product Safety Laws, Regulations and Standards

Several sections to the ASTM F963-08 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, the mandatory toy standard under CPSIA Section 106, are in the process of being revised and balloted by the ASTM committee.

The following outlines some of the proposed revisions.

• Toys with spherical ends – Clarifies the scope with pictorial examples for testing consistency.
• Stability of ride-on toys or toy seats – Addresses the load placement for Fore and Aft stability and sideways stability.
• Squeeze toys – Limits the requirements of this section to be applied only to the portion of the toy which has the squeeze function.
• Yo yo elastic tether toys – Defines the measuring of the length of the tether when the tether is fully extended during rotation.
• Flammability –The word “should” revised to “shall”, implying an obligation.
• Stuffing Materials – In addition to fiber filling, “loose fillers” to include any other natural or synthetic filling material such as, but not limited to, hair, foam, feathers, sawdust and rubber. 
• Plastic film – Expands the scope of the requirement to include flexible plastic film bags and flexible plastic sheets used not only as packaging materials but also used with or as part of toys.
• Toy seats – Defines the “toy seat” as a stationery toy product with a seat where the amusement of the child is a primary function of the product and the play pattern intends that the child be in a seated position.
• Jaw entrapment – Revision of gauge size requirements to add a third dimension.
• Soluble Heavy Elements – Requirements to be added for accessible substrates akin to EN 71 Part 3; along with carve out for glass, metals and ceramics that are not small parts and materials exempted from lead content under 16 CFR 1500.91.
• Projectiles – Standardizing list of “improvised projectiles” for consistency between test labs.

Notes:
The proposed revisions are under consideration within an ASTM international technical committee, and are subject to change before the new standard is released.

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