KCA News & Media
Press Release
Press Release
| Imported Toys for Children, Tighter Safety Measures Are Called for Immediately | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | 2008-03-26 | Hit | 5180 | ||||||||||||||||
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Imported Toys for Children, Tighter Safety Measures Are Called for Immediately
○ It has been confirmed that many of the toys imported from other countries, which were sold in the Korean market, have not acquired the Korea Product Safety (KPS) mark or were being sold without attached warning notices on the toys. ○ The Korea Consumer Agency, has investigated 21 kinds of imported toys for children ranging between the age of 0~6 years, which were sold at the discounted stores and toy retail shops. KCA has checked the component parts, product quality and the indication of safety warnings of these imported toys. As a result, safety issues have aroused since the ages of users were not indicated on these toys. Therefore, necessary safety measures are needed to be taken against the imported toys as soon as possible.
□ Accidents related to toys are on the increase. Of those accidents, the inhalation of foreign materials most commonly occurred.
○ From 2005~ September 2007, toy related accidents in children under 14 years of age have been increasing annually, currently totaling 865 cases.
(No. of Accident Cases)
○ Accidents involving children less than 6 years old totaled 76.8%. The accidents related to infants between the age of 1~3 years were reported as 44.2% (or 378 cases) and those between 4~6 years of age were 29.2% (or 250 cases).
○ In categorizing the type of hazards, the insertion of foreign materials like small toy parts into the nose, mouth, ear or other parts of the body, reached about 50%. Therefore, adults should be more attentive toward their children to avoid preventable suffocation accidents.
□ Lack of Safety Notice on small component parts ◎ 5 parts out of 9 parts without signs of precautions
○ According to KPS (Korea Product Safety), following the Korean Agency for Technology & Standards, states that toys which are clearly intended for use by children under 36 months must not have small component parts. Also, toys and their component parts for children less than 72 months should have the warnings or the precaution notice as following:
◎ Lack of Ages of Users on 10 out of 21 Items
□ The Safety Policy to be strengthened by the addition of imported toys on the customs certified articles and by conducting regular testing on imported toys.
○ Based on the above investigation, the KCA will recommend the related organizations as follows;
▲ Add the imported non operative toys (toys without motors or inertia) as customs certified articles.
▲ Enhance the safety policy on the imported toys by elaborating regular testing.
▲ Reinforce more systematic controlling measures against illegal products and poor quality.
▲ Call for tightened safety measures against children’s goods containing harmful materials.
▲ Recommend the related corporations to comply with the safety standards in terms of product quality and precaution notice.
○ To prevent children related accidents in households, KCA’s advices are as follows;
▲ Purchase children’s toys based on their age; carefully go over the Korea Products Safety mark on the toys.
▲ Keep the toys containing small component parts or broken parts away from infants under 3 years old.
▲ Safety awareness among parents raining small children need to be enhanced.
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