ISO Safety Meetings Discuss Alignment of Global Toy Standards

November 6, 2017 | The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee on Toy Safety (ISO TC 181) held meetings in San Diego, CA in October to discuss alignment opportunities and revisions to ISO 8124, the international toy standard that is used by many countries around the world.

Toy Association staff was involved in the discussions, which included representatives of government, industry, testing labs, and consumer groups from about a dozen countries. Members of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on behalf of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) were in attendance; Joan Lawrence, senior vice president of standards and regulatory affairs at The Toy Association, chairs the group.

During the meetings, participants discussed potential alignment of ISO 8124 with U.S. toy safety standard ASTM F963 in several areas, including total screening of heavy elements and mechanical and physical requirements. A new work item was also approved to add microbiological requirements to the ISO standard for the first time. Alan Kaufman, senior vice president of technical affairs at The Toy Association, is convening the work group on this topic and will use ASTM F963 requirements as a starting point for discussions.

“The Toy Association annually participates in the ISO meetings to advocate for changes to the international toy standard that promote child safety and are compatible with requirements in the U.S. and other jurisdictions,” says Lawrence. “We are pleased to report that progress was made to align some ISO 8124 sections with ASTM F963 in the U.S. These revisions will ultimately result in safer products for children around the world.”

The Toy Association hosted the San Diego meetings on behalf of ANSI. Members will be kept apprised once updates to the ISO toy safety standard are finalized.