Building Safe Toys

jnimz · Post by **jnimz** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 5:52 pm

Thanks Reible.

Also, please take a moment to stop by the following Petition Website. Even if you do not actively sell your own hand-made goods, but know someone who does, please support the by signing the petition protecting small business and small business owners. This act is redundant, and prohibitive for small business, and should not be allowed to pass in it's current iteration.

jnimz · Post by **jnimz** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 6:01 pm

Even more important than the petition, please visist The Consumer Product Safety Commission's Website. If you care at all about this issue, please dont delay. Comment for this legislation will only remain open until Jan 31.

Here is the message I posted to the Commission directly:

Hello,

The 2008 CSPIA unfairly restricts the ability of the small business in the US to compete. Please add wording to the legislation that allows the small business crafter/producer of items covered under this legislation to continue production without having to spend exorbitant amounts of money to attempt to remain in business.

Thank you,
<signature>

kalynzoo · Post by **kalynzoo** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:35 pm

I stand corrected.
Thank you Reible for keeping the post accurate.
Thank you Jnimz for the petition and CSPIA link.
I sent the following message:
If CSPIA 2008 passes without a small woodworkers shop exemption, will or should I, stop volunteering to help emotionally disabled children make toys at a local school. These hand made toys, such as cars bird houses and miniature baskeball games are made by and intended for children under 18 years of age. They are made of natural wood, pre-cut in my shop, and painted with poster paints supplied by the school. We will not have the funds or resources to test these crafts for lead or other toxins. Please consider the small shop and hobby enthusiast before passage of CSPIA 2008

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:49 pm

kalynzoo wrote:I stand corrected.
Thank you Reible for keeping the post accurate.
Thank you Jnimz for the petition and CSPIA link.
I sent the following message:
If CSPIA 2008 passes without a small woodworkers shop exemption, will or should I, stop volunteering to help emotionally disabled children make toys at a local school. These hand made toys, such as cars bird houses and miniature baskeball games are made by and intended for children under 18 years of age. They are made of natural wood, pre-cut in my shop, and painted with poster paints supplied by the school. We will not have the funds or resources to test these crafts for lead or other toxins. Please consider the small shop and hobby enthusiast before passage of CSPIA 2008

Unfortunately, the law has already been passed. It just does knot go into effect until February. I agree that they should have some exceptions.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:06 am

a1gutterman wrote:Unfortunetly, the law has already been passed. It just does knot go into effect until February. I agree that they should have some exceptions.

Like all most new laws this one will be amended (modified and clarified) by many rules. Rules are now being hashed out. Comments help!

a1gutterman · Post by **a1gutterman** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:10 am

charlese wrote:Like all most new laws this one will be amended (modified and clarified) by many rules. Rules are now being hashed out. Comments help!

Oh! I have been making comments. I do knot know if they help, but they certainly can knot hurt. Being able to make comments makes me feel a little better anyway. They actually reply, but all they tell me so far is that I will have to comply with the rules, just like everybody else!

Here is my first comment:

Message = As an amateur woodworker, I sometimes make childrens toys and sell them at shows. How is this new law going to effect me and my toys? Am I required to have my toys tested? Is it just the finish that needs tested? What if I can show customers the can that the finish came from? Or the safety sheet regarding the finish that I use? What if I do not apply a finish to the toys? Thank you in advance for answering my concerns. I do want to comply, but I do not know how I am effected. If testing is required, I am afraid that I have been put out of business. For the price of materials that I have in to my toys, I do not make any money. I am sure that to add the cost of testing will be so prohibitive, I will have to quit seeing all those smiles I get, which is the only "profit" that I make. I hope that there is some kind of exception to the testing of hand crafted toys made by Americans in the US.

And the reply:
[quote]
Good morning,

Unless there are changes or exceptions to the new legislation you would have to adhere to the same requirements as other companies that sell children&#8217]

Please click on the link below and view the FAQ’s on the right hand side of the page for sections 101, 102, 103 & 108.
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/legislation.html#summaries

mlj
[/quote] I read those sections. There may be hope, but so far it is a slim hope. My latest "comment" has knot gotten a reply yet. If it does, I will post both the comment and the reply.

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:34 am

I don't know how this will turn out but my neighbor that home schools her children was notified by a couple of her suppliers of home schooling supplies that they are withdrawing from the market due to this legislation. They simply can't afford the new testing procedures.

She belongs to various home schooling groups both national and local and the law as written requires testing of everything aimed a market audience of 0-12 years old no exceptions, this is includes books.

Many public libraries are already in the process of planning to remove books from their shelves that haven't been tested.

She apparently has spoken to the local library to confirm this and they indicated to her that in fact this was the case and they were doing two things. One reevaluating the target audience criteria to determine if some books could rightly be pulled out the targeted range. Two contacting publishers to find out if the testing would retroactive or if they had any plans for exchanging tested with non tested books. To date no books have been pulled locally but plans are be formulated.

I believe anything targeted to a age audience of 0-12 years will be required to pass stringent tests that most certainly will eliminate or severely impede the sale of anything wooden, craft or commercial.

This might have the same effect as the ban of anything wooden used in commercial kitchens, which eliminated wooden cutting boards, chopping blocks, handles and wooden utensils. All commercial knives now have plastic or metal handles, and commercial cutting boards are nearly all plastic.

I think this is another case where we need to be saved from ourselves instead of the things we fear.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 11:53 am

I guess this would mean that all things NOT MADE OF WOOD are considered safe??

kalynzoo · Post by **kalynzoo** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 11:57 am

Statistically, when children 0-12 are removed from the equation, the number of accidents, poisonings, and injuries are significantly reduced. Therefore, rather than trying to restrict craftsman made toys, or books, or cutting boards, the Government should seriously look at limiting CHILDREN.

Yes this seems extreme,

But if only ONE life can be saved....

My class day with my daughters Autism classroom is scheduled for April. I know I will not give up the program, at least not this year. But our project will probably be a bird house rather than something construed as a toy.

For those who believe in CHANGE, perhaps this can be changed. For the rest of us, lets be vocal and change it.

jnimz · Post by **jnimz** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 6:58 pm

kalynzoo wrote:Statistically, when children 0-12 are removed from the equation, the number of accidents, poisonings, and injuries are significantly reduced. Therefore, rather than trying to restrict craftsman made toys, or books, or cutting boards, the Government should seriously look at limiting CHILDREN. Yes this seems extreme, But if only ONE life can be saved....

My class day with my daughters Autism classroom is scheduled for April. I know I will not give up the program, at least not this year. But our project will probably be a bird house rather than something construed as a toy.

For those who believe in CHANGE, perhaps this can be changed. For the rest of us, lets be vocal and change it.

Why didn't we think of this solution sooner? Yes, the children MUST go!

Seriously though...how is the government possibly going to enforce this with the small business/crafter? The amount of oversight for large manufacturers alone is going to be horrific. I know these laws are potentially detrimental, but the amount of red tape govenment already utilizes (and has access to) should effectively tie their hands in favor of the little guy (I hope!)