RAPEX, the EU Rapid alert system for dangerous non-food consumer products, has recently revealed a number of items that were intended for the UK market that did not comply with the Toys Safety Directive. All toys sold in the UK must meet the standards set out in The EN71 toys safety directive, in short, toys must be safe to use and fit for purpose.  Anyone selling or distributing toys in the EU is responsible for ensuring this is the case. British Standard EN 71 comprises 11 sections which regulate the Safety of Toys.. Three of the most commonly requested sections are outlined below. EN71 -1 is concerned with the mechanical and physical elements of the toy . EN71-2 is concerned with the flammability of the article - toys should not be highly flammable and the flame should not spread too quickly. EN71-3 is concerned with the migration rate of certain toxic elements, these should not be over limits set out by the EU, more information can be found by visiting our website http://www.thelaboratory.co.uk/en_71.html. Two of the items identified by RAPEX actually posed a major choking risk because parts of the toys could easily be detached and put in the mouth and swallowed. Therefore they were not in line with EN71 -1 and were not safe the EU market place. One of the items has since been removed from the market place and both of the items have had a ban on marketing placed on them. The Laboratory At The Birmingham Assay Office is UKAS accredited to carry out EN71 toy safety testing . For further information on toy safety testing or any other testing matters please contact Steve Franklin on testing@theassayoffice.co.uk or 0871 871 6020. [caption id="attachment_2119" align="alignleft" width="152" caption="UKAS ACCREDITED TOY SAFETY TESTING AT THE LABORATORY AT THE BIRMINGHAM ASSAY OFFICE"][/caption]

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