Tighter toy safety controls follow recall crisis

The British Toy and Hobby Association has developed a six-point plan to tighten safety controls following the recent global recall of millions of Chinese-made toys.

The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) has developed a six-point plan to tighten safety controls following the recent global recall of millions of Chinese-made toys.

The move follows a toy summit held yesterday (Wednesday) that was attended by ten leading industry figures, including chairman of Toy Industries of Europe Daryl Scrivens, BTHA director general David Hawtin and Vivid Imaginations technical director Tom Beach.

The summit supported the actions taken by the Chinese Government against some toy manufacturers and advised the industry to widen the education programme for Chinese workers. It also recommended that the EU should strengthen toy safety laws across all 27 member countries.

The plan advises the UK toy industry to reinforce the design and control processes of raw materials, suppliers and manufacturers, as well as to increase random factory visits throughout production.

Hawtin says toys are safe and more than 243 million of them were sold in 2006. He adds that recalls are part of the toy industry’s “stringent” self-regulatory process.

Earlier this month, the BTHA launched an online toy safety guide for parents.