182 Consumer Safety Specification on Toy Safety (ASTM Standard)
Description
This article is from the Woodworking FAQ Collection 5, by multiple authors.
182 Consumer Safety Specification on Toy Safety (ASTM Standard)
ASTM Standard For Toys
Here are some highlights of F963-86, "Consumer Safety Specification
on Toy Safety" ,which might be of interest to amateur woodworkers
and hobbyists. I've paraphrased a lot to reduce the length, and left
out parts that didn't seem applicable to woodworkers; therefore, do
not use this information in place of the standard itself.
Section 3 contains definitions.
Section 4 describes specific hazards for various kinds and parts of toys.
Section 8 has a battery of test methods.
The Annexes have a bunch of useful comments regarding age grading.
3.5 hazardous edge: an accessible edge that presents an unreasonable
risk of injury during normal use and reasonably foreseeable abuse of a
toy. Metal glass edges on toys intended for children under the age of
eight years are defined as potentially hazardous if they fail the sharp
edge test described in 16 CFR 1500.49. Edges other than metal and
glass are defined as potentially hazardous if they are sharp to the
touch under conditions of casual handling.
3.16 hazardous point: an accessible point that presents an
unreasonable risk of injury during normal use or reasonably
foreseeable abuse. Points on toys intended for children under the age
of 8 years are potentially hazardous if they fail the sharp point test
described in 16 CFR 1500.48.
3.18 hazardous projection: a projection that, because of its material
or configuration, or both, may present a puncture hazard if a child
should fall onto it.
4.1 Material Quality - Toys shall be constructed of new or reprocessed
material that has been so refined that the level of contamination from
hazardous substances does not exceed that found in new material.
4.2 Flammability -Materials other than textiles used in toys shall not
be flammable as defined under 16 CFR 1500.3 (c) (6) (iv) under the
Federal Hazardous Substances Act. I suppose wood is probably out,
but we'll just have to ignore this one!
4.3.5 Paint and Similar Surface-Coating Materials - should comply with
the lead content provisions of 16 CFR 1303. Subpoints indicate
allowable percentages of things like lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury,
selenium, barium, chromium, that sort of thing. It would be nice to
have a list of manufacturers of "safe" finishing materials. Net people
have suggested Cherry Hill, Watco, and the water-based finishes from
Carver-Tripp. Behlen makes a Salad Bowl Finish that's supposed to be
non-toxic when dry.
4.6 Small Objects - intended to minimize hazards from ingestion or
inhalation of small objects, or pieces that break off or are removed
from toys. Do tests both before and after abuse testing in accordance
with section 8.
4.6.1 16 CFR 1501 states, in part, that no toy or fragment of a toy shall
be small enough to fit entirely within a given test cylinder. The figure
shows a cylindrical hole 1.25" in diameter and 2.25" deep, but it's got a
slanted bottom so it's only 1" deep on the shallow side. Paper, fuzz,
string and the like are excluded from the requirement. The test is
intended for children under 3 years, but probably wouldn't be a bad
guideline for any age.
4.7.5 Exposed bolts or threaded rods - If the ends are accessible, the
thread shall be free of exposed sharp edges and burrs. If covered by
finish caps, test with the compression, tension, and torque tests (8.8-
10).
4.8 Accessible points - Toys shall not have accessible potentially
hazardous sharp points that may occur because of the configuration of
the toy, assembly devices such as wires, pins, nails, and staples that
are poorly fastened; poorly sheared sheet metal; burrs on screws, and
splintered wood. A "sharp point" is defined in 16 CFR 1500.48, and a
design for an elaborate tester is given -- a spring-loaded head and a
battery-driven lamp. Essentially, a point which goes through a
.040"x.045" opening farther than .005" fails the test.
4.8.3 Wood - The accessible surfaces and edges of wood shall be free
if splinters. (By the way, "accessible edge" was given a technical
definition, and a hinged probe with specified dimensions was shown.
It's too complicated to reproduce, but simulates a 2-joint finger
about 2 inches long and 1/4" thick -- the dimensions vary for different
ages).
4.9 Projections - long discourse stating that long thin things that
might stick up if the toy is laying on the floor should be covered by a
cap or something to prevent puncture wounds if the kid should fall on
it.
4.10 Nails and fasteners should not protrude (they shouldn't anyway!).
4.13 This section covers strings and elastics, including
monofilaments, plastic tapes, chains, and anything similar.
4.13.1 Crib and Playpen Toys - any string should be less than 12 inches
long, total.
4.13.2 Pull Toys - String longer than 12 inches intended for children
under 3 years should not have beads or attachments that could tangle
to form a loop. (Strangulation danger, I suppose this is).
4.13.3 Self-retracting Pull Strings should not retract with a 2 pound
weight hung on the end. So I guess it should require no more than 2
pounds to keep the string pulled out.
4.13.4 Accessible unaffixed elastics in toys intended for children
under 36 months of age shall not extend to more than 12 inches under
a load of 5 pounds.
4.14 Wheels, Tires, and Axles - These requirements are intended to
eliminate the possibility of ingestion hazards that might be caused by
small wheels or tires that separate during normal use or reasonable
foreseeable abuse, and laceration or puncture hazards from
projecting axles, either on the toy or on wheel assemblies that may
be removed from the toy during abuse. The requirements shall apply
to wheels on toys intended for children under 8, except for ingestion
hazards from small wheels and axles, which apply to toys intended for
children under 3. After being subjected to the use and abuse tests of
8.5-8.11, wheels, tires, or axles shall not present a laceration or
ingestion hazard as defined in 3.16, 3.18, and 4.6.1, respectively.
4.15 Folding Mechanisms and Hinges - Requirements intended to
eliminate possible crushing, laceration, or pinching hazards. Examples
are sudden collapse or motion that produces a scissor action, or a gap
in a hinge that could admit a finger while closing.
4.15.1 Folding Mechanisms - toy furniture and such with a folding
mechanism or brace that's intended to support the child's weight
should have a safety stop or locking device, and /or provide adequate
clearance to protect fingers, hands, and toes.
4.15.2, Hinge-Line Clearance, and 4.16.1, Clearances for Moveable
Segments, say that any gaps between moving parts (like lids or
wheels or fenders) should be either less than 3/16" or greater than
1/2" at ALL positions.
4.16.2 is intended to avoid finger entrapment which could cut off
blood circulation. If a hole is accessible and can admit a 1/4" rod to a
depth of 3/8" or more, it should also admit a 1/2" rod.
4.16.3 Chains and Belts -- intended to protect against crushing,
pinching, and finger entrapment between links of supporting chains or
between chains, sprockets, pulleys, and belts.
4.16.3.1 Chain should be shielded if it's accessible and the links have
openings more than 0.19" wide.
4.16.4 Inaccessibility of Mechanisms - clockwork and other drive
mechanisms should be shielded or inaccessible. Their test is a 1/4"
rod 3" long. Also, where mechanisms are located near openings 1/4"
to 1" wide, there shall be no pinch or laceration hazard in any direction
within 1.5" of the inside periphery of the opening. (For the kid who
puts a finger in, bends it, and probes around, as they are wont to do).
4.16.5 Winding Keys - For keys on toys for children under 3 years,
where the toy rotates as the mechanism unwinds. If the flukes of the
key are more than 1/4" from the body of the toy, they should be at
least 1/2" away. No opening in the flukes should admit a 0.19" rod.
4.16.6 Coil Springs - for prevention of pinching or crushing during
compression or extension, on riding toys. Spring gaps should be less
than 0.12", or more than 1/4", even when a 70 pound weight is bouncing
on it.
4.17 Stability and Over-Load requirements: This section mostly
covers the stability of riding toys. It's long, so I'll summarize a lot.
4.17.2.1 Sideways Stability - Ignore sideways stability where the seat
is under a given height, as long as the feet are free to be used for
stabilization. The height varies with age: 9 inches for a 1-year-old,
and increasing essentially 1 inch per year of age. For seats above the
limit, use the tip test in 8.16.
4.17.3 Fore and Aft Stability - Use tip test in 8.16, but use a 15 degree
incline and apply the load to the least favorable part of the seat, with
handlebars (if any) in various positions from straight ahead to 45
degrees left and right.
4.17.4 Stationary Floor Toys - If it's higher than 30 inches and heavier
than 10 pounds, make sure it doesn't tip when placed on a 10 degree
incline even with all movable portions extended and pointing
downslope.
4.17.5 Overload Requirements for Ride-On Toys and Seats - Seats
should bear 3 times a child's weight, where the weights are (age-
pounds): 1-28,2-29,3-42,4-43,5-50,6-59,7-69,8-81,9-89,10-105,11-
121,12-120,13-140,14-153. That's right, a rocking horse for a 5-
year-old should support 150 pounds without bending, breaking, or
pinching.
4.18 Confined Spaces - to eliminate possible entrapment in
enclosures such as toy refrigerators, or suffocation in things like
space helmets.
4.18.1 Ventilation - Toys with doors or lids with volumes over 1.1
cubic feet, where internal dimensions are 6 inches or more, should
have an unobstructed ventilation area of greater than 2 square inches
over 2 or more separate openings situated at least 6 inches apart
when the toy is placed on the floor in any position and adjacent to two
vertical walls. (Permanent bars or partitions could be used to
separate the space inside so that a child won't fit inside, if that's not
the intent).
4.18.2 Closures to enclosures described in 4.18.1 shall not be fitted
with automatic locking devices. Closures should open with a force of
10 pounds or less when pushed in an outward direction anywhere
within 1 inch from the center of the closure.
4.20 Projectile Toys - covers things like slingshots and darts. [Take
these with a grain of salt, such toys are probably "dangerous" by their
very nature.]
4.20.1.1 No projectiles should have sharp edges or points, nor should
they fit within the cylinder described in 4.6.1.
4.20.1.2 No projectile shall have a tip radius less than 0.08 inches.
[Even this seems to small to me! -KE]
4.20.1.3 Any projectile with a kinetic energy that exceeds 0.08 J (as
determined in 8.15.1) should have an impact surface made of resilient
material.
4.20.1.4 Protective tips should not detach when subjected to the
torque and tension tests 8.8 and 8.9, and shall not produce or reveal
hazardous points or edges when fired into a solid object according to
the test procedures in 8.15.4.
4.20.2 Discharge Mechanisms - your gun shouldn't work with things
like pencils and rocks.
4.21 Rattles -- covered separately in 16 CFR 1510. A test fixture has
a rounded rectangular opening 1.378" high and 1.968" wide, and 1.181"
deep -- apparently no part of the rattle should be able to go through it
(as when a baby puts it in his mouth). An additional test has a circular
hole of the same depth, with a diameter of 1.68".
4.22 Pacifiers - covered in 16 CFR 1511. There's a test fixture shown
with a strange-looking opening that I won't try to describe for fear of
misunderstandings, and a note about limiting levels of nitrosamines
to 60 parts per billion. I doubt if anyone's building wooden pacifiers,
anyway!
4.24 Teethers - conforms to the same tests as rattles.
4.25 Crib Gyms, Crib Exercisers, etc. - I think these are hanging toys
intended for kids to play with while lying in a crib. The warning is to
do away with the toy as soon as the baby begins to push up on hands
and knees, approximately 5 months of age, so that no entanglement
will occur. Also, in 6.3.1 they warn not to hang the toy close to the
baby -- it's to be within reach of the hands, but clearly out of reach of
face and mouth.
4.26 Toy Chests - minimize the possibility of entrapment,
strangulation, crushing, pinching, or suffocation.
4.26.1.1 Vertically opening hinged lids should have supports such that
if the lid is dropped while being opened, it will not fall more than half
an inch. See test in 8.14.1. This should be true even after 7000
opening and closing cycles, without requiring adjustment of the lid. (I
wish they'd give an example of a mechanism that would comply with
their requirements!) They also remind you of the guidelines in 4.15.2
and 4.18.
8. Test Methods
8.1 All toys should go through 8.5-8.10. The order doesn't matter,
except where specified. Many parts of section 4 said to do the abuse
test before doing the others, for example; also, do 8.4 before running
any tests.
8.4 Preconditioning - Cycle the temperature to 0 degrees Fahrenheit
(4 hours), room temperature (4 hours), 130 degrees (4 hours), and
back to room temperature for 4 hours; repeat this cycle.
8.5 Normal Use - Simulate normal play mode, with the intention of
uncovering hazards (the fact that a part breaks is only relevant here
if it produces a hazard -- the test is not for reliability or quality).
Use all the parts of the toy, and do it in the intended environment
(say, soapy water for a bathtub toy or in sand for a sandbox toy).
8.5.1 Washable toys - run the toy through 6 machine wash and dry
cycles.
8.6.1 Abuse Testing - The tests in 8.7-8.13 are the "reasonably
foreseeable abuse" tests. Severity differs with the age of the child.
If the toy is built to be assembled by a child, test each piece
separately as well as the assembled toy.
8.7.1 Drop Test - Drop in random orientation. Evaluate after each
drop. Drop onto a 1/8" thickness of tile over concrete at least 2.5"
thick. Impact area should be 3 square feet or more. The height and
number of drops is as follows: up to 18 months old, 10 times over 4.5
feet; other children, 4 times over 3 feet. (Why is this, I wonder? I
would have thought the older kid would drop it more, from and
farther).
8.7.3 Tumble Test for Wheeled Toys - Tumble down a flight of 6 steps
with risers at least 7 inches high. Do it twice for each orientation:
forward, backward, and sideways both ways. Test is complete even if
the toy does not reach the bottom.
8.8 Torque Tests for Removal of Components - for any parts which can
be grasped with the thumb and forefinger, or the teeth. Put a clamp
on the component and attach to a torque gauge, and twist in both
directions for 15 seconds as follows: up to 18 months, 2 inch-lbf; up to
3 years, 3 inch-lbf; up to 8 years, 4 inch-lbf.
8.9 Tension Test for Removal of Components - Any projection of a toy
that a child can grasp with at least the thumb and forefinger or the
teeth shall be subjected to this test. Clamp each test component and
apply tensile for for 15 seconds, once parallel to the major axis of the
component and once perpendicular. The forces are as follows: up to 18
months, 10 pounds; older children, 15 pounds.
8.10 Compression Test - For any surface of the toy that was not
accessible to flat surface contact during the impact test in 8.7.1.
Press a rigid metal disk 1.125" in diameter onto the area for 15
seconds with the following force: up to 18 months, 20 pounds; up to 3
years, 25 pounds; up to 8 years, 30 pounds.
8.11 Removal of Wheels and Axles- Clamp the toy, and use a hook to
hang 10 pounds on the wheel or axle for 15 seconds. For children up to
3 years of age, use 15 pounds. Do the test with the axle both vertical
and horizontal. If a wheel-and-axle assembly pulls off the toy, do a
further test: turn the axle to vertical, set one wheel on a plate with
the axle over a hole, and apply 20 pounds to the upper wheel to see if
the axle can be made into a "projection hazard" by sliding the wheels
down the axle.
8.12 Flexure Test - for flexible toys. Secure in a vise with rounded
jaws and bend 60 degrees from the vertical each way. Repeat that
cycle 30 times, once every 2 seconds with a 1-minute rest every 10
cycles.
8.13 Test for Mouth-Actuated Toys (whistles, flutes, what have you) -
Use a piston pump capable of discharging and taking in more than 18
cubic inches of air in less than 3 seconds. Subject the toy to 10
alternating blowing and sucking cycles. If the outlet is accessible to
the child, do the same thing to the outlet.
8.14 Lid Support Mechanisms - Lift the lid to any position in its arc of
travel to a distance greater than 2 inches but not over 60 degrees
from the fully closed position. Release the lid and observe any
dropping motion. Subject the lid to 7000 full opening and closing
cycles, within the space of 72 hours. Repeat the support mechanism
test.
8.14.2 Closures/Lids - test for conformance to 4.18.2 by pushing with
a gradually increasing force perpendicular to the plane of the lid at a
point within 1 inch from its geometric center. The force required to
cause the lid to begin to open should be less than 10 pounds.
8.15 Projectiles - Calculate kinetic energy as mass in kilograms times
velocity in meters per second. Measure the velocity across a
distance of not more than 1 foot of flight; also, use the average of 5
measurements. For impact tests, fire the projectile from their
discharge mechanism perpendicularly into a concrete wall 1 foot
away.
8.16 Test for Stability of Ride-On Toys - Place the toy on a 10 degree
slope (15 degrees for some toys, as noted in the relevant part of
section 4). Turn steering mechanism, if any, to a position where the
toy is most likely to tip. Chock wheels to restrict rolling. Apply a
static load in the seat as follows (age-weight): 1-28, 2-29, 3-42, 4-43,
5-50, 6-59, 7-69, 8-81, 9-89, 10-105, 11-121, 12-120, 13-140, 14-
153.
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