The EU Training Programme for Turkish Chamber Executives Toy Safety

1. The EU Training Programmefor Turkish Chamber ExecutivesToy Safety Mr Henk de Pauw, Eurochambres expert henk.depauw@certif.be Ankara, 18 June 2009 Istanbul, 19 June 2009 www.eurochambres.eu Eurochambres • Chamber House • 19 A/D Avenue des Arts • B-1000 Brussels • BelgiumTel: +32 (0)2 282 08 50 • Fax +32 (0)2 230 00 38 • Email: eurochambres@eurochambres.eu

2. What is a toy • Any products or material designed or clearly intended for use in play by children of less than 14 years of age

3. What are « toys »? • Not all products sold in a toy shop are toys. Not all toys are sold in a toy shop. • Packaging can give a clue • Assumption that products intended for children are toys; • Can be a toy and have a different function

4. Not a toy? Products not considered a toy • Christmas decorations • Detailed scale models for adult collectors • Equipment intended to be used collectively in playgrounds • Sports equipment • Aquatic equipment intended to be used in deep water • Folk dolls and decorative dolls and other similar articles for adult collectors • 'Professional' toys installed in public places (shopping centres, stations, etc.) • Puzzles with more than 500 pieces or without picture, intended for specialists

5. Not a toy? (cont.) • Air guns and air pistols • Fireworks, including percussion caps (¹) • Slings and catapults • Sets of darts with metallic points • Electric ovens, irons or other functional products operated at a nominal voltage exceeding 24 volts • Products containing heating elements intended for use under the supervision of an adult in a teaching context • Vehicles with combustion engines

6. Not a toy?? (cont.) • Toy steam engines • Bicycles designed for sport or for travel on the public highway • Video toys that can be connected to a video screen, operated at a nominal voltage exceeding 24 volts • Babies' dummies • Faithful reproductions of real fire arms • Fashion jewellery for children

7. Essential requirements • General principles • Particular risks • Physical and mechanical properties • Flammability • Chemical properties • Electrical properties • Hygiene • Radioactivity

8. Essential requirements – General • Users of toys as well as others need to be protected from health risks and risk of injury. • The manufacturer needs to take into consideration the expected behaviour of children. • Risks are linked to the design, construction and composition of the product.

9. Essential requirements - General • The degree of risk present in the use of a toy must be in relation with the ability of the users, and where appropriate their supervisors, to cope with it. • This applies in particular to toys which are intended for use by children of under 36 months.

10. Essential Requirements - General • To observe this principle, a minimum age for users of toys and/or the need to ensure that they are used only under adult supervision must be specified where appropriate. • Labels on toys and/or their packaging and the instructions for use which accompany them must draw the attention of users or their supervisors fully and effectively to the risks involved in using them and to the ways of avoiding such risks.

11. Essential requirements Links with standards

12. Essential requirements Links with standards

13. Links with other directives New Approach Directives cover a specific product or a specific risk. As a consequence, several directives can be applicable to one product. • Toys (88/378/EEC) • EMC (89/336/EEC) • Packaging wast (94/62/EC) • Food Safety (87/357/EEC)

14. How to comply • Internal production control • For toys manufactured according to standards • Module A • Third party verification : • A certificate of type-testing is issued by a notified body (Module B) • The manufacturer assures that what he produces is compliant with the type and that his products meet the requirements.

15. Safe toys Tasks for the watchfull consumer: • Look for the CE-mark • Age indication • Warnings • Instructions

16. Safe Toys The age indications is a key element to the toy safety.

17. Documentation under the New Approach • Not very popular with companies • But: • Essential for liability • Does not have to be drafted from scratch • Opportunities for intermediaries

18. Documentation under the New Approach • Technical file • Declaration of conformity • Instructions

19. Technical file • Name of Manufacturer • Product ID • Description (prospectus) • Instructions • Declaration of conformity • List of applied standards and directives

20. Technical file • Solutions to essential requirements • Identification of risks • Application of standards • Drawings • Test results • Others…

21. Instructions • From start to finish • Essential for liability • Language • Ingredients in each directive

22. The Declaration of Conformityminimum requirements • Signature • Name and title of person signing • Adres of manufacturer • Identification of the product • List of applied standards • Identification of notified body • Date • Reference to applicable directives

23. Labelling • The most visible part of CE-marking • Name and address • N° of the notified body • Others

24. Labelling: warnings • Annex 4 contains specific warnings for certain toys • These must be at least in one national language.

25. Case Study Yo Yo Balls

26. Yo Yo Balls • Many other names • All made in China • All CE marked • Emerged in 2003 as the latest toy fad

27. Water balls – Sports Balls

28. Flashing Meteoric Balls

29. Glow in the dark Yo Yo Balls

30. The Product • Fluid-filled brightly coloured plastic balls on rubber strings • They are highly elastic and can be stretched to great lengths

31. Availability • There are more than 30 types of yo-yo water balls made in China and Taiwan • Sold in both EU and USA by many different companies and in many different stores • Approximately 11-15 million yo-yo ball toys distributed in the U.S in 2003 selling for between $1 and $5

32. The Risk • String or cord can become wrapped around a child’s neck • Then it constricts tightly • Children could be strangled

33. Other Risks • The yo-yo ball may be flammable • The plastic exterior of certain water yo-yos may be made from diesel hydrocarbons • Balls have caught fire instantly when exposed to a flame from a lighter • The balls burn aggressively when held over a candle flame • The contents of the water ball may pose a toxic hazard

34. UK Incidents • Concerns were raised following eight reported incidents in a month • A seven-year-old lost consciousness when elastic string from a Yucky Yo Yo Ball stopped him breathing

35. Inadequate Certification • Importers certificate of conformity was in relation to European Safety Standard on Toys EN 71 • No check made re conformity to Directives essential requirements • Toys must present a risk of strangulation or suffocation [1e]

36. UK action • Tests showed that the toy could pose a risk of strangulation • An estimated 5 million Yo-balls had already been imported into the UK. • The supply of Yo-balls was banned with immediate effect

37. Yo-ball banned in UK • The first ban imposed on a toy for more than 10 years in UK

38. Swiss flamability tests

39. Action in Member States • RAPEX Notification by UK • Banned in France • Banned in South Australia • Banned in Italy but decision overturned by court action • Voluntary partial withdrawal in Germany • Switzerland issued a similar warning & request to retailers

40. Just how dangerous?

41. Mary’s neck injury

42. Andrew - 5 years old Died July 22, 2003

43. Thank you… Please feel free to contact us eurochambres@eurochambres.eu Toys Withthesupport of the European Commission www.eurochambres.eu Eurochambres • Chamber House • 19 A/D Avenue des Arts • B-1000 Brussels • BelgiumTel: +32 (0)2 282 08 50 • Fax +32 (0)2 230 00 38 • Email: eurochambres@eurochambres.eu