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At its meeting during Toy Fair in New York City in February, the Toy Industry Association's (TIA) board of directors unanimously endorsed the general direction of a proposal for a new toy testing and safety verification system for toys sold in the U.S. Key elements of the program include procedures for design hazard analysis, auditing manufacturing process controls, and product safety testing.
The proposal was developed by a working group comprised of safety experts and representatives of consumers, government, retailers, the toy industry and testing laboratories. TIA engaged the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. standards and conformity assessment system, to chair the initiative and facilitate the development of a proposal to strengthen the safety assurance system for toys sold in the U.S. market.
The program has been published by ANSI and its full description is available at www.ansi.org/publicreview. The publication was available for a one month public review.
Following the public comment period, a final program proposal will be presented to the TIA Board for final adoption and implementation. At that time, a timetable for putting the program in action will also be provided.
"The American toy industry has a long history of leadership in toy safety, dating back to the 1930's," said Daniel Grossman, chairman of the TIA board. "Once again, our industry has responded quickly and effectively when toy safety issues have been identified. We moved quickly to involve all interested parties, including government and NGOs, in order to move this effort along as quickly as possible."
"This is an aggressive program and many companies are already implementing the safety assurance measures contained therein," added Carter Keithley, TIA president. "What we are proposing is an industrywide initiative that would ensure that these measures are adopted for all toy products to be sold in the U.S. market, and to restore the confidence of American consumers in the safety of toys."
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