Toy safety advice

 Jerry Burnie of IQS is one of the Toys Safety Advisors used by the British Toy and Hobby Association and is the Chairman of their Toy Technical Committee. 

We are ideally placed to be aware of the latest standards and industry developments linked to toys.

Jerry Burnie is a regular speaker on Toy Safety and Regulations to Trading Standards, Children's safety forums and various Parliamentary and safety committees.

Toy safety spokesperson on Channel 5 news item regarding the selling of safe toys.

The Toy Safety Directive 

Toys are one of the most regulated product categories in the EU and UK. They are used by some of the most vulnerable consumers who rely on others for their protection. 

The Directive was comprehensively revised in 2011 and 2012, to take in to account the changing developments and issues surrounding modern day toy products.  Those and subsequent updates and successive amendments have been far reaching and have impacted the compliance strategies companies need to trade legally.

On top of the many legislative requirements are the environmental restrictions and obligations that must be met by importers and manufacturers.

IQS help companies by:

  • Anticipating their obligations under the Toy Safety Directive.

  • Identifying the legislative compliance and labelling requirements for each toy or toy type.

  • Identifying risks and hazards relating to the toy through Safety Assessments.

  • Ensuring assembly and use instructions are acceptable.

  • Establishing the best method to demonstrate compliance and to manage additional risks.

  • Checking that evidence of compliance supplied by your vendors is acceptable.

  • Putting you in contact with specialist companies supplying specific compliance schemes where appropriate.

  • Highlighting free sources of technical guidance.

  • Ensuring your manufacturing sites meet the most appropriate audit requirements for your customers.

  • Providing bespoke training for your staff to enable in-house compliance management.

  • We are not a testing laboratory and can often save you money by establishing cost effective compliance options some of which may already be within your supply chain.

  • We can evaluate 3rd party test results supplied by companies in the client’s supply chain to make recommendations on shortfalls and additional requirements.

  • We can also work with clients and their chosen laboratories to establish the most appropriate and cost-effective testing protocols.

  • IQS offer an Authorised Representative service for clients requiring representation in the UK market.

Authorised Representative.

For Toy products, EU and non-UK companies may require an Authorised Representative established in the UK, who acts on behalf of a manufacturer established outside the UK in relation to the manufacturer’s obligations mentioned above.

IQS are able to provide these services, if interested please contact us about our Authorised Representative Mandate