Toy
Testing: Government and Industry's
Main Defense Against Unsafe Toys!
Made
Safe™ provides
you a glimpse into toy testing, to show how the Toy Industry strives to
produce the safest toys possible. Toy testing is
conducted by accredited Toy Safety Test Labs.
Production standard toys are submitted for safety testing, no less than
once
per year. This page will show you some of the safety test procedures
and toy test equipment used.
Small Parts (Hazardous to children UNDER 3)
 Toys
are first subjected to "use and abuse" tests that pull, twist and drop
them. Any small parts that may result OR may be present originally, are
put into the test cylinder (shown). The part is dropped in the
cylinder, without pushing it in. If the part is wholly contained in the
cylinder, it is classified as a small part. You should buy your own
small part cylinder, to test for small parts, from either source. Made
Safe™ has no affiliation with either company.
Discover This Perfectly Safe Catalog
There are other specialized
tests for squeeze toys
and bottle nipples that require different testing fixtures (not shown).
Neither fabrics or paper are tested as small parts, per CPSC guidelines.
LEAD:
One of Nine Toxic Elements Tested
 A
sophisticated system is used to evaluate all heavy metals and toxic
elements in paint, including lead. These are measured and compared to
governmental standards. Previously, under the outdated regulations, the
paint would have to be scraped off the toy and then measured for lead
content. Under the new toy safety regulations, the paint is scanned
directly. It doesn't matter if it comes off or not. It is now possible
for factories to have a continuous sampling of paint, before it goes
into production. This practice, which Made Safe recommends, insures
that paint conforms to regulations, before it is used to make toys.
Sharp
Edges & Points
 Toys
are first subjected to "use and abuse" tests that pull, twist and drop
them. Then the toy and any "broken" parts are tested by  instruments
that measure points and edges, to make sure that no hazards are
present. The type of "use and abuse" testing is determined by the age
rating of the toy.
< Left photo-
testing the points of a toy hairbrush.
> Right photo shows testing of a molded edge.
Sound
Levels
 Toys
that produce sounds mechanically or electronically, must conform to the
allowable levels. The photo shows a toy's sound being measured by the
instrument. Toys that produce sound louder than the acceptable limits,
are failed.
Testing requires that the
toy produce sounds that are
within acceptable limits (measured in decibels), at a prescribed
distance.
< The toy shown
is producing sound of 78 decibels.
Tension Test
 To
simulate a child pulling on a toy, technicians use a 15 pound (25 lbs.
for
Europe) PULL test. This can be performed on any part of the toy, but is
especially important with any attachments (like buttons, eyes, plastic
parts etc.). If these attachments come off they would be subjected to
small part testing as well as other tests.
> The
photo right shows the seams being tested. If a seam opened, the inside
polyester would come out and likely cause a test failure.
Flammability
Different materials like fabrics and plastics, must burn slower than
their allowable burn rate. This rate is measured in inches/second. If a material
burns too fast, it will fail. Plastics are also tested for flammability.
There are many, many other
tests administered by the
safety labs, which are not shown here. We trust this has been
informative and recommend that you buy an inexpensive Small Part Test
Cylinder.
All
photos courtesy of KS Toys Ltd.
Toy
Testing Laboratories
CTL Consumer
Testing Labs - BV Bureau
Veritas - Intertek
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