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Toypost :: toy safety aspects - CE norm - child friendly test
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toy safety aspects - CE norm - child friendly test |
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General information: |
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Our items carry the mark and are child safe. Only a few items - as clearly stated in the descriptions - are sold as an artifact or collector's item and cannot be sold as a child's toy. Children under the age of three (3) should not play with toys without adult supervision. Some parts are small and can be swallowed by young children and form a Choking Hazard
Toy importers and exporters have to comply with European law and have to label each and every single item which is sold as a children's toy with a (CE marked) warning that the toy is not suitable for children under a specific age, usually 3 years old. Certain toys require adult supervison and the buyer of the toy should take note of the label's contents and keep it for future reference.
Note: A similar warning can also be found on toys sold in the U.S.A. However, UK and European goods sold to overseas and non-UK/European buyers are offered with the specific CE warning as a guideline for safe operation.
You can read more background information on the department of trade & industry - CE mark web pages with regards to pan-European trade of constantly tested and approved goods.
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Collector's Items - TinPlate Toy information: |
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Humming Tops, Tinkle Tonks, Tin Drums and other smooth and well finished tin plate Toys have passed child safety tests and will have the CE mark.
IMPORTANT! Some toys and items on our website are sold to adult collectors over 14 years of age only.
These items are designed and manufactured in an old fashioned way and do not comply with Toy Safety Legislation. Nostalgic tinplate products inevitably will have sharp edges, as some of us may remember from their childhood.
We feel that we should offer these collector's items, as long as we make it absolutely clear that they are not offered as toys, but are featured as part of our collection of interesting artifacts.
Buyers of these toys agree with the disclaimer in our terms and conditions and should show common sense and under no circumstance operate these toys near children.
Tinplate Collectors please note: Small surface scratches, surface oxidation and paintwork touch-ups of collectible tinplate toys (especially Robots) are quite common. The way these type of toys roll off the assembly line is frequently the cause of small blemishes, which may be touched up by a worker before the product leaves the toy factory. The quality of the finish is beyond our control and we cannot accept requests for refunds including postage costs for this reason.
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Test Certificate: |
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Toys intended to be used by children under 14 years of age* have a certficate of safety, passing stringent tests.
If a child's toy fails a test it has to be re-designed.
Tests are constantly held and for safety reasons products are tested more and more in different ways.
A new programme will perform a drop-test on toys for under 3 year olds. It is dropped on a hard surface from appr. 75cm. If a part brakes off which could be swallowed by a child, it will fail the test.
If a product fails a test whilst it has already been sold for some time, a re-call programme will be launched and you will most likely come across a media story concerning this.
No imported toy/game is allowed to be sold within the EU without a test certificate*
Copies of these certificates are available, but we have to forward a request to the supplier/manufacturer.
* Except Marbles and Hand made toys - See above for Collector's Toys.
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Paint Used: |
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Recently many scary stories about lead in toy paint have hit the media again (previously in 1997 and 2004). Some Chinese manufacturers, have applied paints which contain too much lead, to soft plastic and metal and loads of Mattel toys had to be recalled.
Metal based paints make the paint look much brighter and have superior flexibility properties and will stick to a surface better than most other paints. That's why these types of paint are frequently used on metal frames, bridges, car bumpers etc. Lead based paints are only allowed under certain circumstances, please read more on this Department of Environment's website. But it is clearly bad practise and it is not allowed to use paint containing excessive amounts of lead in the manufacture of toys. We have some Wooden Toys (Double Decker Bus, Noah's Ark, Trucks, other buses, Tractors) which are made in China and these are supplied from Dutch and German suppliers. In The Netherlands toys are routinely and frequently checked on safety/paint quality etc. by trading standards in Rotterdam. The same accounts for all toys im- and exported by German suppliers, where traditionally the TUV standards have been very strict.
We can assure you that Toypost's suppliers distribute toys which have passed stringent tests. These tests are repeated over a period of time, other new tests are also applied. The latest 'soak' test for instance will show up if materials used in a certain toy are safe for babies and young children if they have the toys in their mouths for a certain amount of time. All dyes, colour paints and finishing coats, including oils or waxes have to be non-toxic and must conform to CE EN-71 and ASTM D-4236 standards.
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Toy safety aspects: |
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From an adult's perspective, common sense should prevent accidents with toys. The 'not suitable for under 3 years of age symbol' is applied to certain toys to point out that most children under the age of three (3) tend to put things in their mouths and are at risk of swallowing small parts of a toy, which they might consequently choke on. The majority of our toys comply to British and other countries safety standards, but we offer a few interesting items, which we cannot sell as a toy; only as a collector's item. Example: the animal toys from Russia have nails, necessary to make certain parts move. Nails have always been used in toymaking, but they can come out and could be a safety hazard.
All toy manufacturers use approved and tested child friendly paints and dyes. Some customers asked us which paints to use, intending to customize certain toys and we can recommend the 'Japlac' range from International coatings. Some acrylic brands are also perfect for colouring toys; the Swiss Waco range, as used by one of our Toymakers, is one of the best brands available, but very hard to find in this country. A word of caution, however: only apply thin layers, if you try to cover the surface with one thick coat, you could end up with sharp paint chips coming off the toy. There is less risk of chipping when using acrylic paints.
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