Building Safe Toys

[Gene Howe]

Well said, George!

[joedw00]

You have my vote George!

[wa2crk]

HOW DID I EVER SURVIVE ????
When I was growng up all window sills were covered with paint that contained lead. I played with Erector sets with 100's of small nuts and bolts and metal "I" beams some of which had sharp edges. Tinker toys with the small sticks which sometimes broke and left sharp points and playing with razor blades when making model airplane kits. And the glue which had solvents which would make a drunk sailor turn sober!!!
Many times I would cut a finger and not realize it until I was leaving small red dots on the blue prints. OK for the Japanese zeros I suppose.
I really got in trouble when I got interested in electronics and Ham Radio. No transistors back then only vacuum tubes with 250 to 400 Volts DC !!!
Now I am scaring myself. Excuse me while go and order some life insurance.
Bill ( AKA Lucky)

[a1gutterman]

This is all a direct result of the "Big Brother" mentality that has been instilled into our society by the welfare system. We have created a generation of people who can't, or won't, fend for themselves without government (or some other) assistance. We, the citizens, are now looked upon as a group of helpless idiots that can't make a decision on our own without government intervention. The sad part is, in many cases, (more than I want to believe) it is true. A huge portion of today's parents expect the school system (government) to raise their children for them. They don't want, or in most cases know how, to take the responsibility for their own actions. Much less be responsible for raising their children.

The following is my opinion, and normally I wood put it in the Community forum, but this will have to do. George speaks truth here.


This law, is what I call a "For Your Own Good Law". There are many of these on the books. The trouble is, when a substantial amount of people believe in something so much, they get a law passed. There is always a "good" reason for the law and it always has some merit, but it invades our privacy and erodes our rights. I am knot going to tell you why this is a bad law. If you are here, you are a wood worker, and this law is bad for woodworkers. Enough said. Some of you believe that the motorcycle helmet laws are good laws; some of you believe that immunization laws are good laws; some of you believe that table saw guard laws are good laws; some of you believe that seatbelt laws are good laws. The list is endless. Each of these laws are passed "for our own good".

I do knot mind being given suggestions and being shown how something that I may be doing is dangerous, but it should be my choice whether or knot I will do that thing. I DO KNOT want someone else interferring in my choices AS LONG AS MY CHOICES DO NO HARM TO OTHERS!

I can understand laws to protect workers from their employers that would otherwise require them to work in hazardous conditions; I can understand laws that protect children from unthinking (or uncaring) parents/guardians. But the over protection that some laws directed at protecting workers and children are costly, unproductive and unnecessary. BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS.

In this particular case, a law to protect children from heavy metals and chemicals could be written to be less restrictive to woodworkers, retailers, and the like. The way it is currently written is overboard.

[kalynzoo]

Your preaching to the chore, but Amen.

[gregf]

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans.

[a1gutterman]

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans.

Hi Greg,
Thank you for the update. Can you direct us to where that is documented? I am interested in exactly which testing and certification requirements are being delayed.

[dusty]

Hi Greg,
Thank you for the update. Can you direct us to where that is documented? I am interested in exactly which testing and certification requirements are being delayed.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/money/ ... ducts.html

[a1gutterman]

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/money/2009/01/cpsc-votes-for-oneyear-cpsia-delay-on-certain-products.html

Thank you, Dusty. My interpretation of the statements made on that link is that we can make and distribute toys without testing them, and without the fear of breaking laws, for the next year, as long as we do knot incorporate into the toy, a hazardous substance, such as lead. So, to be safe, do knot put a finish on the toys.

[a1gutterman]

Dusty, knot only is this not copyrighted, they want it distributed.

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public AffairsWashington, DC 20207FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2009
Release #09-115CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans.
Significant to makers of children’s products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers – large and small – of children’s products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.
The decision by the Commission gives the staff more time to finalize four proposed rules which could relieve certain materials and products from lead testing and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted.
The stay will remain in effect until February 10, 2010, at which time a Commission vote will be taken to terminate the stay.
The stay does not apply to:

• Four requirements for third-party testing and certification of certain children’s products subject to:
  • The ban on lead in paint and other surface coatings effective for products made after December 21, 2008;
  • The standards for full-size and non full-size cribs and pacifiers effective for products made after January 20, 2009;
  • The ban on small parts effective for products made after February 15, 2009; and
  • The limits on lead content of metal components of children’s jewelry effective for products made after March 23, 2009.
• Certification requirements applicable to ATV’s manufactured after April 13, 2009.
• Pre-CPSIA testing and certification requirements, including for: automatic residential garage door openers, bike helmets, candles with metal core wicks, lawnmowers, lighters, mattresses, and swimming pool slides; and
• Pool drain cover requirements of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act.

The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA.

Handmade garment makers are cautioned to know whether the zippers, buttons and other fasteners they are using contain lead. Likewise, handmade toy manufacturers need to know whether their products, if using plastic or soft flexible vinyl, contain phthalates.
The stay of enforcement on testing and certification does not address thrift and second hand stores and small retailers because they are not required to test and certify products under the CPSIA. The products they sell, including those in inventory on February 10, 2009, must not contain more than 600 ppm lead in any accessible part. The Commission is aware that it is difficult to know whether a product meets the lead standard without testing and has issued guidance for these companies that can be found on our web site.
The Commission trusts that State Attorneys General will respect the Commission's judgment that it is necessary to stay certain testing and certification requirements and will focus their own enforcement efforts on other provisions of the law, e.g. the sale of recalled products.
Please visit the CPSC Web site at www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html for more information on all of the efforts being made to successfully implement the CPSIA.
Statements on this vote by Acting Chairman Nancy Nord and Commissioner Thomas H. Moore are in portable document format (PDF).

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[url=http://javascript%3cb%3e%3c/b%3E:send();]Send the link for this page to a friend![/url] The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

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