U.S. and International Toy Safety Standards

All toys sold in the U.S., regardless of where they are made, must be tested to verify compliance with rigorous U.S. toy safety requirements. These standards are shaped by a variety of considerations, including research on child development, dynamic safety testing, and risk analysis.

Development & oversight

TIA’s Safety Standards and Technical Committee monitors activity on issues related to product safety, standards, testing and quality assurance issues that affect the toy industry. The Committee helps formulate the Association’s policies and positions relating to such matters to advocate on behalf of all segments of the toy industry. The ASTM F963 toy safety standard is under continual review by the F15.22 Subcommittee on Toy Safety. ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development and review of its standards; those interested in participating in the review of ASTM F963 may visit the ASTM website for information on membership. In 2013, Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tennenbaum selected the F15.22 Subcommittee on Toy Safety, chaired by TIA’s Joan Lawrence, as a recipient of the Chairman’s Commendation Circle Award. This honor was given in recognition of the Subcommittee’s accomplishments in improving toy safety over the past three decades. Also in 2013, the toy industry’s Kitty Pilarz, senior director of product safety for Fisher-Price/Mattel, was presented with the annual Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award during the U.S. World Standards Day Celebration in Washington, DC for her extraordinary contributions to standards work and toy safety.

International

International Standards for Toys & Children’s Products are maintained by TIA in its role as Secretariat for the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI).

The International Standard for toy safety is ISO 8124: ISO 8124-1:2012 – Safety of Toys Part 1: Safety Aspects of Mechanical and Physical Properties

ISO 8124-1:2012/Amd 1 – Projectiles, rotors and propellers

ISO 8124-1:2012/Amd 2 – Impaction and impalement hazards ISO 8124-1:2012/Amd 3 – Cords ISO 8124-2:2007 – Flammability ISO 8124-3:2010 – Migration of Certain Elements

ISO 8124-4:2010 – Swings, slides and similar activity toys for indoor and outdoor family domestic use

ISO 8124-4:2010/Amd 1:2012 – Inflatable activity toys

ISO 8124-4:2010/Amd 2 – Paddling pools ISO/DIS 8124-5 – Determination of total concentration of certain elements in toys

ISO/DIS 8124-6 – Toys and children’s products — Determination of phthalate plasticizers in polyvinyl chloride plastics

ISO/CD 8124-7 – Fingerpaints – Requirements and test methods

ISO/DTR 8124-8 – Age determination guidelines ISO 8098:2002 – Cycles: Safety Requirements for Bicycles for Young Children The standard is available in English from the International Standardization Organization. Additional information about other foreign standards can be found on the International Standards page of the ICTI website. Where available, contact information to obtain the referenced document(s) is indicated.