Toy Safety
Toy safety standards are essential to ensure the items you buy for your loved ones are appropriately designed and manufactured to a standard that will prevent any harm coming to them. Toy safety standards in Europe are amongst the highest in the world and are enforced with vigour in the UK by local Trading Standards Officers.
Incidents of accidents involving toys are rare and more often than not are due to the toy being used in a way it wasn't designed for, has been given to a child of an unsuitable age or was a toy belonging to an older sibling and has been found by a younger child.
To help our customers better understand the markings found on toys and the legislation behind them we have written this short guide.
European Toy Safety Standard EN71
EN71 is a Europe wide set of legislation covering the standards for all toys for children up to the age of 14 and within the legislation splits toy suitability into age specific ranges and in particular, warnings for toys that are deemed to be unsuitable for children under 36 months. The legislation is in 6 parts and covers things such as flammability, toxicity and safety marking.
Toy symbology
CE Mark
Toys have a number of symbols to indicate they meet the requirements of the legislation the most common of which is the CE mark. This symbol together with the name and address of the first supplier, was required by law to appear on all toys placed on the market in the European Union on and after January 1990. It is important to stress though that the CE marking is not a European safety marker or quality symbol intended for consumers and should not be presented as such. Its purpose is to indicate to enforcement authorities that the toys bearing it are intended for sale in the European Community and signifies a declaration by the manufacturer or his authorised representative in the Community that the toys satisfy the requirement applicable to them and are entitled to access Community markets.
Not withstanding this though the CE logo does indicate that the manufacturer, importer or their agent has had the toy tested for compliance and is able to demonstrate this to the appropriate authority (Trading Standards in the case of the UK) upon request.
Toys Unsuitable for Children Under 36 months
This logo (also known as the 'Grumpy Baby' Logo) indicating toys are unsuitable for children under 36 months is also becoming more widely used. Young children explore the world through their mouths and as they grow the onset of teething can lead to them chewing on anything they pick up to ease sore gums. For this reason all toys for children under 36 months must pass the choke hazard test. A test cylinder has been specifically designed to reflect the size of a gullet in a child of 3 years and under. Items that do not fit into the test cylinder pass the test as do items that fit in but have some part still visible and therefore accessible. This test has dramatically reduced the incidence of choking on small items. The Choke Hazard Test does not apply to toys for the over 3's.
Pass Fail
Toys To Be Used Under Supervision
This phrase is featured on those toys (for example, those played with in water) which expect some form of adult involvement. It implies that while the manufacturer has made the product to the required safety standards, the product should not be used without adult supervision as children might misuse it in play and therefore transform a safe toy into a dangerous one.
Age symbology used on toys from the Monkeyshine Website
To make it easy for customers to choose appropriate toys you will find 2 important pieces of information beneath the product descriptions for all our toys. The first indicates the age range the manufacturer has had the item approved and tested for, for example 3 years plus. This information is given in both icon and text format.
This product has been tested and officially certified as safe for children aged 3 years plus.
Beneath the statutory age some items also have guidance as to our opinion on the suitability of an item. For example although a toy is certified as suitable for children over the age of three it may not be appropriate for a 3 year old due to the complexity of the toy. In these cases we will indicate the age we feel the toy is appropriate for and is their purely as guidance for our customers.
To find out more about toy safety or to find your nearest Trading Standards Office visit Trading Standards Central
For more details of ensuring your child's safety please see the sensible advice on the RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) site.
