Toy safety standards

 

Over the years there have been several international recalls of children’s toys. These have highlighted the importance of product safety standards and the need for manufacturers, importers and retailers to ensure their products are safe and comply with regulations.

 

New Zealand has several toy safety standards that set out general safety, constructional, toxicological, and flammability requirements for toys. These are adopted from international standards and reflect internationally accepted best practice in the area of toy safety.

 

New Zealand’s toy safety standards also cover a number of key areas; for example, toys that are intended or suitable for use by under threes are required to not have small parts that can be pulled apart from or break off the toy. They also establish an acceptable size for toys for under threes and set up a range of tests that products must be able to pass, such as a bite test and drop test, without small parts breaking off.

 

Under the Product Safety Standards (Children's Toys) Regulations 2005 all people involved in the manufacture, distribution and retail of toys for children up to and including the age of 36 months must comply with specified parts of AS/NZS ISO 8124.1:2002 Safety of toys - Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties. This includes the sale, exchange, lease, hire and hire purchase of toys, as well as ‘giveaways’, such as toys given away as prizes at side-show stalls, toys which are gifts with the purchase of other goods, and toys in breakfast cereal packets. Private sales of second-hand toys are not covered.

 

New Zealand’s toy safety standards are:

 

• AS/NZS ISO 8124.1:2002 Safety of toys – Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties

• AS/NZS ISO 8124.2:2003 Safety of toys – Flammability

• AS/NZS ISO 8124.3:2003 Safety of toys – Migration of certain elements

 

For more information or to purchase copies of these standards visit the Standards New Zealand website www.standards.co.nz or call 0800 735 656.

 

Standards help all New Zealanders by making life easier and safer. They improve the effectiveness and reliability of many goods and services we use every day. Standards New Zealand is increasingly working across diverse subject areas, with standards in health and disability, engineering, sport and recreation, energy efficiency, and fertility services, to name a few.