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Product Categories Children’s items Childcare Articles
According to the EU Directive it is "any product intended to facilitate sleep, relaxation, hygiene, the feeding of children or sucking on the part of children".
Those products are, for example, soothers,; baby carriers (such as carrycot, wheeled child conveyance, pushchairs…); feeding bottles; teethers; baby-walkers; baby changing tables; highchairs etc.
For further information:
Directive 2005/84/EC
Directive 2005/84/EC: this places restrictions on the marketing and use of certain (...) Read more
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Risks and dangers can be evaluated only according to the circumstances in which one can reasonably suppose that a product or service will be used.
What precautions do consumers have to take?
1. Read and follow the manufacturers’ instructions. You have to be careful when you use a product or a service, particularly the first time you use it. Read the instructions carefully, take note of any warnings, check if there are any time limitations for expiry date, e.g. on chemicals or length of (...) Read more
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Assist Ireland - ways to prevent injuries at home www.assistireland.ie
Preventing choking in relation to food or small objects for kids www.kidshealth.org Read more
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Into: Product Safety Product Categories Children’s items Playground equipment
Play is essential to the healthy development of children and a playground can be the answer.
Play equipment such as swings, slides and climbing frames may be used either in consumers’ homes and gardens (i.e. domestic use) or in a formal playground.
Playground equipment is more likely to be associated with the provision of a service rather than a product.
The Toy Safety Directive (TSD) covers play equipment (swings, slides and similar activity toys) for indoor and outdoor domestic use; (...) Read more
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There is no such thing as absolute safety but you can do your bit by acting sensibly at playgrounds.
Be aware of risks Follow all instructions; Look for cautions and warnings; Supervise your children avoiding dangerous behaviour; If you see someone in trouble or fooling around tell someone in charge. The same goes if you see a hazard. Read more
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Always remember the following:
Supervise children and teach them how to use toys safely. Remove and discard all toy packaging as quickly as possible. This is essential as a child could choke or suffocate on plastic bags, polystyrene, staples or ties. Regularly check toys for hazards as they may appear as a toy gets older. - - Look for loose parts, broken pieces or sharp edges. Make sure you dispose of broken toys or that they are repaired properly.
© European Union, 2010 Reproduction of (...) Read more
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Into: Product Safety Product Categories Children’s items Playground equipment
Types of Injuries
Deaths in playgrounds may result from strangulation (e.g. being caught in rope swings or clothing drawstrings), falls, collisions, asphyxiation, piercing wounds and maintenance activities. Such causes may not be directly related to the playground equipment. Fractures are generally regarded as the most serious of the commonly occurring injuries in playgrounds.
Europe wide surveys have found that about 12% of all home and leisure accidents involve playground or (...) Read more
Children
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A significant number of accidents hppen to children in playgrounds due to fixed play equipment
There is one fatal accident every three to four years.
The main risk factors were identified as behaviour, equipment height and body orientation in falls to the ground.
Main locations where equipment-related playground accidents occur are public playgrounds, parks, schools, pubs (public houses) and (fast-food) restaurants. The most common cause in all cases is a fall, but behavioural factors (...) Read more
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Before being marketed, toys must be provided with a CE conformity marking which
• symbolises their conformity with the provisions of the Directives;
• consists of a unique seal or design, namely the CE seal;
• is affixed by the manufacturer or his authorized representative established in the Community.
CE stands for Conformité Européenne, French for European conformity.
Without the CE Marking, and without complying with the provisions of the Directive, the product may not be placed on the (...) Read more
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The procedures for assessing the conformity of toys with the essential requirements were based on the modular approach set out in Council Decision 93/465/EEC. Decision 93/465/EEC was repealed by Decision No 768/2008/EC on a common framework for the marketing of products.
The toy conformity assessment must be carried out by:
• organisations designated by the Member States on the basis of common evaluation criteria, and notified to the Commission and the other Member States;
• or by the (...) Read more
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There are a number of other risks that toys can present to children. This section gives you further information and examples of these risks.
Ride-on toys:
Use the ride-on toy far away from stairs, traffic, swimming pools and other dangerous areas. Be aware that a child on a wheeled ride-on toy can move very quickly - look for hazards like furniture, lamps, cords, decorations or appliances that could be knocked or pulled down onto a child, and remove the hazards before play begins.
Latex (...) Read more
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Minimising the risk of burning
It is important to keep all toys, especially soft toys, away from heat sources like fireplaces, heaters and cookers as they could easily catch fire and burn a child. Make sure that a child does not take a battery-operated toy to bed as this could cause burns or other injuries if the batteries leaked or overheated.
© European Union, 2010 Reproduction of DOLCETA is authorised provided the source is acknowledged (...) Read more
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Minimising the risk of ingestion and inhalation
Although designed for older children, you should always supervise play with chemistry and craft kits. Many of these kits contain chemical products that would cause serious injury if ingested or inhaled. Also be careful about these products coming into contacts with a child’s skin. Call a doctor immediately if a child swallows any chemicals or a battery as these can be extremely dangerous.
© European Union, 2010 Reproduction of DOLCETA is (...) Read more
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If your child has a toy that needs to be plugged into the mains electric to be charged up, always ensure that this is done by an adult and not by the child itself. And remember that the child should also be fully supervised while using the toy.
© European Union, 2010 Reproduction of DOLCETA is authorised provided the source is acknowledged http://www.dolceta.eu Read more
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Minimising the risk of infection or contamination
Children often like to suck their toys and then leave them on the floor. Always ensure that children’s toys are clean and free from contamination. If you have pets at home, ensure that they do not chew or lick children’s toys. It is good practice to wash or sterilise toys regularly, particularly when children are very young.
© European Union, 2010 Reproduction of DOLCETA is authorised provided the source is acknowledged (...) Read more
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A product’s safety characteristics also depends on the consumers behaviour when playing with it.
So here is some advice to help ensure a safer play experience:
Always supervise children and teach them how to use toys safely Promptly remove and discard all toy packaging such as plastic bags and plastic wrap, foam, staples and ties - these can suffocate or choke a child Check toys often for hazards like loose parts, broken pieces or sharp edges, and repair or discard any weak or broken (...) Read more
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Like every product, childcare articles present risks such as injuries, suffocation, strangulation, choking, chemical poisoning, hygiene, electric shock, …
Most childcare articles fall under the scope of the General Product Safety Directive but the Commission went further and as a precaution, other toys and childcare articles of soft PVC intended for children under the age of three and which could be put in the mouth, even if this is not the purpose intended by the manufacturer, shall (...) Read more
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Into: Product Safety Product Categories Children’s items Playground equipment
The main risk factors were identified as behaviour, equipment height and body orientation in falls to the ground.
To prevent accidents.
Be aware of risks Follow all instructions; Look for cautions and warnings; Supervise your children avoiding dangerous behaviour; If you see someone in trouble or fooling around tell someone in charge. The same goes if you see a hazard.
Playground safety is a complex interaction between many different factors, with the type of surface, the type of (...) Read more
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Responsibility for safety therefore tends to fall upon the owner of the playground, which is often the local authority.
Accidents can never be totally prevented, but their incidence can be reduced by good design.
The Irish Play Safety Forum has shown that out of 5,500 incidents reported to a local authority over the last 20 years, 29 occurred in playgrounds and only 14 resulted in claims. A ’duty of care’ which may reduce the likelihood of serious accidents and claims is shown when: (...) Read more
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Playgrounds are a great asset for any community
There are two relevant harmonised European standards for the safety of playground equipment, which came into force in January 1999.
EN 1176 Playground Equipment covers the design, manufacture and installation of playground equipment and is published in seven parts. A further four parts are due to be introduced at some point in the future.
EN 1177 Impact absorbing playground surfacing covers the safety requirements and test methods, (...) Read more
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Into: Keep yourself safe Water and Leisure Safety
This multiple choice quiz will test your knowledge of leisure and water safety. Read more
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