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| Major Worldwide Regulatory Bodies and Web Links for Safety of Toys and Children’s ProductsSGS provides a brief introduction to major regulatory bodies of major markets as well as frequently used web links.
The international trade of toys and children’s products is growing. The United States (US), European Union (EU), Canada and Australia are known as the major toys and children‘s products importing countries. In these countries the safety requirements for toys and children’s products are updated more frequently due to a higher level of concern with product safety which followed after major global recalls of non-compliant products in 2007. It is crucial for manufacturers and importers to understand the requirements in order to control the quality of design and manufacturing in such a difficult and ever changing business environment. This article aims at providing a brief introduction to major regulatory bodies of those major markets as well as frequently used web links. The Regulatory bodies of the USA, EU, Canada and Australia include the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), European Commission, European Parliament and European Council, Health Canada, and Australia Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). These regulatory bodies are responsible for regulations regarding consumer products, including toys, and children’s products such as childcare articles and children’s jewelry. US Regulatory Body - Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) The CPSC is an Independent Federal Regulatory Agency and is responsible for improving consumer product safety by reducing the unreasonable risk of injuries and deaths due to fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazards that are associated with thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC works to ensure the safety of consumer products—such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals and achieves this by: - Developing voluntary standards with industry. - Issuing and enforcing mandatory standards or banning consumer products if no feasible standard would adequately protect the public. - Recalling hazardous products or arranging for their repair. - Conducting research on potential product hazards. - Informing and educating consumers through the media, state and local governments, private organizations, and by responding to consumer inquiries. EU Toy Safety The European Commission embodies and upholds the general interest of the Union and is the driving force in the Union's institutional system. Its four main roles are to propose legislation to Parliament and the Council, to administer and implement Community policies, to enforce Community law (jointly with the Court of Justice) and to negotiate international agreements, mainly those relating to trade and cooperation. The Council of the European Union (officially the Council and commonly referred to as the Council of Ministers) is the principal decision-making institution of the European Union (EU). The Council is one of the two legislative bodies in the EU, the other being the European Parliament. The European Parliament (Europarl or EP) is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU). The Parliament and Council form the highest legislative body within the Union. Health Canada - Responsible for Consumer Health and Safety Health Canada is the Federal department responsible for consumer health and safety. In the area of Consumer Product Safety, Health Canada helps to protect Canadian consumers by researching, assessing and collaborating in the management of the health risks and safety hazards associated with consumer products in everyday use. Health Canada is actively involved in injury prevention by: - Supporting the development of safety standards and guidelines. - Enforcing legislation by conducting investigations, inspections, seizures and prosecutions. - Testing and conducting research on consumer products. - Providing importers, manufacturers and distributors with hazard and technical information. - Publishing product advisories, warnings recall information. - Promoting safety and the responsible use of products. Australia Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent statutory authority. It was formed in 1995 to administer the Trade Practices Act of 1974 and other acts. The ACCC promotes competition and fair trade in the market place in order to benefit consumers, business and the community. Its primary responsibility is to ensure that individuals and businesses comply with the Commonwealth's competition, fair trading and consumer protection laws. The ACCC is the only national agency dealing generally with competition matters and the only agency with responsibility for enforcing the Trade Practices Act and the state/territory application legislation. In fair trading and consumer protection its role complements that of the state and territory consumer affairs agencies which administer the mirror legislation of their jurisdictions, and the Competition and Consumer Policy Division of the Commonwealth Treasury. As well as providing education and information, the ACCC recommends dispute resolution when possible as an alternative to litigation, can authorize some anti-competitive conduct, and will take legal action when necessary. ACCC initiatives include promoting consumer education in rural areas and with indigenous communities. The above Regulatory bodies update regulations periodically. To keep readers informed on regulatory changes, SGS regularly publishes SafeGuards. Toy Safety – Frequently Used Web Links The latest SafeGuards bulletin provides a list of links to organizations and competent authorities (http://newsletter.sgs.com/ About SGS Safety Services for Toys and Juvenile Products Throughout a global network, SGS offers consultation and comprehensive testing services covering the full spectrum of international product safety and regulatory standards for a wide range of toys (http://www.sgs.com/ Please do not hesitate to contact an SGS representative for further information. Contact details: SGS Consumer Testing Services Stephanie Meyer-Pionchon Global Marketing Manager - Toys and Juvenile Products t: +33 4 42 61 64 46 Email: cts.media@sgs.com Website: www.sgs.com/ End
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