This presentation provides an overview of the ASTM F963 toy safety standard. It discusses the history and development of the standard, including its adoption as a mandatory rule by the CPSC. It describes the structure and requirements of the standard, including requirements related to choking, lacerations, strangulation, and other hazards. It also discusses the standard revision process and provides examples of how the requirements apply to different toy types and scenarios.

1. This presentation was prepared by CPSC staff, has not been reviewed or approved by, and may not reflect the views of, the Commission.
2013 CPSC Safety Academy
Seattle, WA

2. The BasicsThe Basics
• ASTM F963 was adopted – and subsequently
updated – as mandatory rule by CPSC, as required in
the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of
2008 (CPSIA)
– Copyright still owned by ASTM-International – copies
must be purchased at www.astm.org
– Read-only copies available for viewing online when
ASTM proposes revisions to CPSC
• F963 is one of the key requirements for children’s
toys but other requirements also apply. (E.g. lead
content, lead in paint, banned phthalates, small parts,
hazardous substances….)

3. History of the StandardHistory of the Standard
• First version developed by toy industry
and published by the National Bureau of
Standards – 1976
• First version of ASTM F 963 developed by
the American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM) –1986
• ASTM F 963- 07e1 adopted as a mandatory
standard by the CPSIA – 2008
• Most recent version (ASTM F 963-11)
became effective June 12, 2012

4. ASTM F 963 - OverviewASTM F 963 - Overview
• Subcommittee members from industry,
consumer groups, government
• Requirements based on injury analysis
• Covers toys for children under 14 years
• Scope excludes products addressed by other
standards
• More than 40 sections of requirements
• Annexes contain information and rationale

5. Scope OverviewScope Overview
• Addresses thermal, electrical, and mechanical
hazards of toys, packaging, and toy chests
• Sections for prevention of choking, lacerations,
strangulation, impalement, suffocation, falls,
burns, poisoning, eye injuries, etc.
• Age Grading: Advice for matching toys to
children of certain ages

6. The Standard ItselfThe Standard Itself
• List of other federal rules for toys
• Definitions
• Requirements
• Test methods
• Guidelines

7. Where are we now?Where are we now?
September 2013
• 2011 version added:
– Lead requirements aligned with CPSIA
– Heavy elements (8) in substrate
• Compositing Procedure for Total Heavy Metal Analysis
– Cadmium requirements
– Bath toy projections
– Seat overload testing
– Acoustics testing aligned with international standard
– Elastic tether toys testing
– New figures

8. Mandatory Standard Revision ProcessMandatory Standard Revision Process
• ASTM F963 revisions sent to CPSC for review
• CPSC may reject revisions within 90 days
• Unless rejected, changes become mandatory
180 days after proposal
• CPSC rejected removal of toy chest section
from ASTM F963-08, so ASTM F963-07e1 toy
chest requirements remain in use with current
mandatory version, ASTM F963-11

9. Partial List of RequirementsPartial List of Requirements
ASTM F963
• Sound-Producing Toys
• Battery-Operated Toys
• Small Objects
• Stuffed and Beanbag-type
Toys
• Projections
• Marbles and Balls
• Folding Mechanisms and
Hinges
• Hemispheric-Shaped Objects
• Cords and Elastics in Toys
• Yo-Yo Elastic Tether Toys
• Bath Toy Projections
• Wheels, Tires, and Axles
• Magnets
• Pacifiers
• Balloons
• Projectile Toys
• Certain Toys with Spherical
Ends
• Rattles
• Teethers and Teething Toys
• Squeeze Toys
• Toxicology: Heavy Elements in
Paint and Substrate
9

10. Third Party Testing RequiredThird Party Testing Required
Except in the following circumstances:
• Sections that address requirements for labeling,
instructional literature, or producer’s markings;
• Sections that involve assessments that are
conducted by the unaided eye and without any sort
of tool or device.
• Sections that pertain to the manufacturing process
and thus, cannot be evaluated meaningfully by a
test of the finished product (e.g., the purified water
provision at section 4.3.6.1); and
• Sections that address food and cosmetics;

11. How To Apply the Standard?How To Apply the Standard?
• Age grading:
– matches the attributes of the toy to the capabilities of the child; and
– is used to determine the appropriate tests to which a product must
comply.
• The Commission considers:
– the manufacturer’s labeling on the product, if it is reasonable;
– whether the product is advertised, promoted, and marketed for
that age child;
– whether the product is recognized commonly by consumers as
being intended for that age child; and
– Age Determination Guidelines – September 2002.

12. ExamplesExamples
• Not All Sections of F963 Apply to Every Toy
• Some Sections of F963 Require Third Party
Testing, Some Sections Do NOT require
Third Party Testing
• Clear Examples
– Robert von Goeben, Co-Founder, Green Toys

13. ExamplesExamples
• “Gray Area” Examples
– Testing Laboratory: Pratik Ichhaporia, PhD,
Intertek Consumer Goods

14. www.intertek.com14 © Intertek 2013,
o Classification
 General use vs. Children’s
products
 Children’s products vs.
children’s toys
o Applicability of toy safety
standard sections
Interpretations

15. Children’s Product?

16. Toys?

17. Toy Safety Standard: Applicability of Requirements
Section 4.36 Hemispheric
Shaped objects
4.18.1 Accessible Clearances for
Moveable Segments

18. www.intertek.com18 © Intertek 2013,
 TIA Interpretation’s committee
 Revision to standard to clarify
gray areas
 F15.22 Sub-committee on going
work
 Magnets
 Projectiles
 Certain other requirements
including emerging hazards
Standard Revision

19. Where are we going?Where are we going?
New Issues and Emerging Hazards
• Nancy Cowles, KIDS in Danger
• Working groups:
– Batteries in toys (Lithium batteries, fire prevention)
– Magnets in toys (Magnet strength, flux index, labeling)
– Projectile toys (Kinetic energy, improvised projectiles)
– Impaction hazards (Nail-shaped hazards)
– Emerging hazards (Projection hazards)
– Toy Chests

20. Thank YouThank You
Panelists:
Robert von Goeben
Co-Founder, Green Toys
robert@greentoys.com
Nancy Cowles
KIDS in Danger
nancy@kidsindanger.org
Pratik Ichhaporia, PhD
Intertek Consumer Goods
pratik.ichhaporia@intertek.com
Moderator:
Neal S. Cohen
Small Business
Ombudsman, CPSC
ncohen@cpsc.gov
Twitter @CPSCSmallBiz
www.slideshare.net/USCPSC
www.cpsc.gov/Toysafety
www.cpsc.gov/GettingStarted
www.cpsc.gov/SmallBiz

21. Safety & Compliance in a
Hyper-Growth Eco Company
Robert von Goeben
President & Co-Founder, Green Toys Inc.
robert@greentoys.com

22. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Green Toys
Market Leader in Socially Responsible and
Environmentally Friendly Children’s Products
Solid in over 5,000 retail locations in USA
Pottery Barn, Whole Foods, Amazon, CostPlus, Nordstrom's,
Barnes & Noble, etc.
Export products to 97 countries
Average annual revenue growth 70%

23. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

24. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

25. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

26. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE

27. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Corporate Goals 2007
1. Find “quantifiably green” plastic material
• Afterlife (biodegradable, recyclable)
• Proven environmental stats (greenhouse gas
reductions, energy savings)
1. Made in SF Bay Area of USA
• Find local manufacturers
1. Safe materials and processes
• Find reliable trusted supplier
• Work in absence of testing procedures
• Find trusted labs

28. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
High-Density Polyethylene
Safety
#2 one of the safest plastics available
No BPA, phthalates, PVC, etc.
Wide Availability
Curb-side collected
Available in California
Good Marketing
Families understand
Close the education loop
Good connotation
CHALLENGE: Manufacturability

29. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Our key to compliance: simplicity
Limited raw materials
Resin
Colorant
Limited suppliers
GT knows all sub-suppliers
All in USA
Simple products
No batteries
No electronics
No glues, screws, metal,
paints, surface coatings,
decals

30. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Challenge 1: Recycled Resin
1. Less material
certifications
2. Inconsistent feedstock
3. “Cottage industry”
suppliers

31. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Solution: Lot testing
Lots manufactured
and quarantined
Independent 3rd
party
Chemical testing
Release upon
compliance

32. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Challenge: Manufacturing
No screws
No metal at all
No glue
No paint

33. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Challenge
: Made in USA

34. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Initial and annual testing

35. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Product Safety
Rigorous US-based testing program
Raw Materials
Lot testing of recycled resin
Standard
ASDTM F963
EN71
ISO8124
Additional
FDA Food Contact
BPA
PVC

36. © 2010 Green Toys Inc. CONFIDENTIAL – DO NOT DISTRIBUTE
Corporate Goals
1. Find green material
1. Made USA
1. Safe materials and processes

37. Robert von Goeben
President & Co-Founder, Green Toys Inc.
robert@greentoys.com

38. 09/23/13
Toy Safety: The Consumer
Perspective
Presented by:
© 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
Nancy Cowles, Executive Director

39. Nonprofit organization dedicated to
protecting children by improving
children’s product safety.
© 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
39
Founded by parents
Linda Ginzel and Boaz
Keysar after the death
of their son, Danny.

40. Toy Safety
40© 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
a. Shared toy box
b. Supervision
c. Age grading
d. Real world use

41. Choking
© 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
41
Hazard Highlight:
Build-A-Bear recalls “Sully”
Character stuffed animal.
Basic Beat BB201 standard egg
Shaker recalled.
Detachable metal conductor pin on
light-up toy frogs and ducks.

42. © 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
Hazard Highlight:
Lead
Recall of "Soldier Bear”
Toy sets due to lead
Poisoning hazard.
Various Thomas & Friends
Wooden Railway Toys contain
lead-based paint.
“Dinosaur Epoch”
toy dinosaurs
recalled by Xtreme
Toy Zone.

43. Magnets
© 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
43
Hazard Highlight:
Kenny died after swallowing loose
magnets that fell out of a magnetic
toy. He was 21 months old.
Toys R Us recalls Buckyballs
High-power magnet sets.
Magnetix Building Sets are a
top recall item.

44. Hazard Highlights:
44© 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
Toxins
Spin Master “Bindeez”
or “Aquadots” contain a
pharmacologically active
sedative pro drug.
Plush toys are found to be
treated with Chlorinated Tris, a
carcinogenic flame retardant.
Not recalled.

45. Emerging Hazards:
45© 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
Water Balz Water-absorbing polymer beads
Sold As:
Water Balz, Growing Skulls, Growing Spider,
H2O Orbs “Despicable Me,” Cosmo Beads,
and Fabulous Flowers toys

46. Emerging Hazards:
46© 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
Water Balz Water-absorbing polymer beads
Also non-toy
marketing

47. © 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
47
Lingering Hazards:
Eyeball Toy
The plastic eyeball contains
kerosene, which if broken,
presents a chemical hazard
to children.
Mike’s Story
A toy ball filled with a
dangerous liquid injured
5-year-old Mike when it
cracked and leaked fluid
into his eye.

48. Solutions
• Testing
• Standards
• Learning from past
48© 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.

49. © 2013 Kids In Danger, Inc.
Kids In Danger
116 W Illinois Street
Suite 4E
Chicago IL 60654
Phone: 312-595-0649
Fax: 312-595-0939
Email: nancy@KidsInDanger.org
www.KidsInDanger.org
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/KidsInDanger
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/KidsInDanger
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/KidsInDanger
@KidsInDanger
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/KidsInDanger
@KidsInDanger

50. Thank YouThank You
Panelists:
Robert von Goeben
Co-Founder, Green Toys
robert@greentoys.com
Nancy Cowles
KIDS in Danger
nancy@kidsindanger.org
Pratik Ichhaporia, PhD
Intertek Consumer Goods
pratik.ichhaporia@intertek.com
Moderator:
Neal S. Cohen
Small Business
Ombudsman, CPSC
ncohen@cpsc.gov
Twitter @CPSCSmallBiz
www.slideshare.net/USCPSC
www.cpsc.gov/Toysafety
www.cpsc.gov/GettingStarted
www.cpsc.gov/SmallBiz