Toy industry rolls out testing program

Toy industry rolls out testing program Leaders of the Toy Industry Association endorsed the general direction of a new proposal for testing and verifying the safety of toys sold in the United States, on a day when the head of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reportedly said she was “very angry” about recalls involving toys with lead paint because they showed a breakdown in quality control.
   Speaking to executives at their annual toy fair in New York City, Nancy Nord, acting chairwoman of the commission, said she would not tolerate the toy industry not complying with regulations, according to the Associated Press. She said there were 61 toy recalls involving millions of toys last year compared to 40 in 2006.
   The toy industry group said key elements of its proposed safety program would include procedures for design hazard analysis, auditing manufacturing process controls, and product safety testing.
   It said the proposal was developed by a working group comprising safety experts and representatives of consumers, government, retailers, the toy industry and testing laboratories.
   The toy association has hired the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to chair the initiative and facilitate developing a proposal to strengthen the safety assurance system for toys sold in the U.S. market.
   The program will be published by ANSI this Friday for a one-month period of public review and comment. Following the public comment period, a final program proposal will be presented to the board of the toy association for final adoption and implementation. At that time, a timetable for putting the program in action will also be provided.