New program proposed to address toy safety concerns

On January 30, a working group of safety experts and industry, government, and consumer leaders moved forward with the development of a proposed new safety assurance program for toys.

The proposal has been developed by a working group formed by the U.S. Toy Industry Association (TIA) Board of Directors in response to toy safety concerns raised during the summer of 2007. 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.

Key elements of the draft program include prescribed procedures and audit mechanisms for design hazard analysis, manufacturing process controls, and in-plant testing.

“We are developing a robust system that will help to assure that products entering the U.S. market meet this nation’s rigorous toy safety requirements,” said Lane Hallenbeck, ANSI vice president of accreditation services and chair of the initiative’s steering committee.

During its meeting today in New York City, members of the project steering committee finalized the draft text by reviewing and reconciling the latest requirements identified by the technical working groups.

As the sponsoring organization, the TIA Board will be given the first opportunity for review and comment. Following the Board's consideration of the proposal and the corresponding actions necessary to implement the recommendations, a public review and comment period will begin.

“This has been an extraordinarily complex undertaking,” added Carter Keithley, TIA president. “The working group has had to contend with the variability of literally tens of thousands of new products each year. TIA applauds their efforts to develop a program that demonstrates to the public our industry’s commitment to toy safety.”