Updates from the ASTM Subcommittee on Toy Safety
April 29, 2019 | The ASTM F15.22 Subcommittee on Toy Safety, which oversees the ASTM F963 toy safety standard, convened for a special meeting last week in Ottawa, Canada, to continue an initiative to align U.S. and Canadian toy safety requirements.
Members of the Subcommittee, as well as representatives from both Health Canada and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), were in attendance to discuss next steps for the alignment initiative, which began a few years ago and had recently been on hold while ASTM F963 was under review.
During the meeting, which sought to restart efforts and engage interested stakeholders, possible administrative path options for alignment were discussed, including that Canada consider adoption of all or parts of ASTM F963, and for the ASTM subcommittee to consider standard revisions to address issues of concern to Health Canada that F963 does not already address.
“We’re encouraged that both agencies have reaffirmed their support for moving forward with alignment efforts,” said Joan Lawrence, The Toy Association’s senior vice president of standards and regulatory affairs and chair of the ASTM F15.22 subcommittee. “And, importantly, we all agree that alignment must seek to improve and not compromise safety in the process.”
Stakeholder participation was invited in the technical working groups as they revisit the differences between the two countries’ requirements and prioritize specific areas for discussion. Additional meetings in the coming months will recommend revisions that will improve alignment and maintain safety.
Joan Lawrence Receives Margaret Dana Award
Also last week, The Toy Association’s Joan Lawrence received the prestigious Margaret Dana Award from the ASTM Committee F15 on Consumer Products, following a unanimous vote of the committee’s executive board.
The committee’s highest honor was bestowed upon Lawrence in recognition of her “leadership and commitment to the protection of children and [her] untiring efforts to improve the safety of play,” stated Kathie Morgan, ASTM president. Lawrence has chaired the toy safety subcommittee for the past 18 years.
Toy Association member Aaron Muderick, president of Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld, congratulated Lawrence on the award upon hearing the news: “I always marvel at the names on the wall at ASTM headquarters,” he said. “So much work goes into design and decisions, invisible to the consumer, that make everyday products work. There is a part of you in every toy in every home around the world. And it’s a better world because of it.”