Posted by Sam Allen on December 18, 1997 at 18:19:13:
In Reply to: Wooden Toy Safety posted by Tim on December 18, 1997 at 14:35:52:
: I want to build some wooden toys for my grandchildren, but I'm concerned about safety. Where can I find some safety standards for wooden toys?
The ASTM standard for toys gives exhaustive standards I've summarized the key points that seem to apply to wooden toys here, but for complete standards refer to F963-96, "Consumer Safety Specification on Toy Safety" You can get the complete text directly from ASTM for $26.
Remember these are just the summaries of some of the requirements. You should refer to the complete ASTM standards for exact details.
3.5 hazardous edge: Avoid sharp metal or glass edges on toys intended for children under the age of eight years. Avoid edges other than metal and glass if they are sharp to the touch under casual handling.
3.16 hazardous point: Avoid sharp points on toys intended for children under the age of 8 years
3.18 hazardous projection: Avoid any projection that, because of its material or configuration, may present a puncture hazard if a child should fall onto it.
4.1 Material Quality - Use 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.
4.3.5 Paint and Surface-Coating Materials - should not contain lead arsenic, cadmium, mercury, or other poisonous materials. See related answer about safe finishes. Non-toxic finishes for cutting boards, salad bowls and toys
4.6 Small Objects - Avoid small parts that can break off or be removed from toys intended for children under 3 years. Children may choke on small toy parts. No toy or fragment of a toy shall be small enough to fit entirely within a test cylinder 1.25" in diameter with a slanted bottom so it's 2.25" at the deepest point and 1" deep on the shallow side. Paper, string, etc. are excluded from the requirement.
4.7.5 Exposed bolts or threaded rods should be free of sharp edges and burrs. If covered by finish caps, make sure that the caps won't come off and expose a sharp edge.
4.8 Accessible points - Make sure that there are no potentially hazardous sharp points such as wires, pins, nails, and staples that are poorly fastened; poorly sheared sheet metal; burrs on screws, or splintered wood.
4.8.3 Wood - The accessible surfaces and edges of wood shall be free of splinters.
4.9 Projections - Avoid long thin projections that might cause puncture wounds if a child fell on it.
4.10 Nails and fasteners should not protrude
4.13 Strings and elastics, including monofilaments, plastic tapes, chains, etc.- Avoid long strings that could get tangled around a child's neck and cause strangulation. Any string should be less than 12 inches long, and should not have beads or attachments that could tangle to form a loop. Self-retracting Pull Strings should not retract with a 2 pound weight hung on the end.
4.14 Wheels, Tires, and Axles - Wheels should be large enough to pass the Small Objects test in 4.6, Don't use nails to attach wheels because they can pull out and be a hazard. Design the attachment so that even if the toy breaks there won't be any small or hazardous parts.
4.15 Folding Mechanisms and Hinges - Design doors, lids and anything with hinges so that there is no way for little fingers to get pinched crushed or cut. Examples are sudden collapse or motion that produces a scissor action, or a gap in a hinge that could admit a finger while closing. Toy furniture etc. with a folding mechanism or brace that's intended to support the child's weight should have a safety stop or locking device, and provide adequate clearance to protect fingers, hands, and toes. Any gaps between moving parts should be either less than 3/16" or greater than 1/2" at all positions.
4.16.2 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 -- To protect against crushing, pinching, and finger entrapment between links of supporting chains or between chains, sprockets, pulleys, and belts, 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. If there is a hole that could admit a finger, there shall be no pinch or laceration hazard in any direction within 1.5" of the inside of the opening.
4.16.5 Winding Keys - If the key rotates as the mechanism unwinds. If the bow of the key is more than 1/4" from the body of the toy, it should be at least 1/2" away. No opening in the key should admit a 0.19" rod.
4.16.6 Coil Springs - To prevent pinching or crushing fingers on riding toys, spring gaps should be less than 0.12", or more than 1/4", even when a 70 pound child is bouncing on it.
4.17 Stability and Over-Load requirements: Stability of riding toys. You can ignore sideways stability as long as the child's feet are free to be used for stabilization and the seat is under 9 inches for a 1-year-old, and increasing 1 inch per year of age.
4.17.4 Stationary Floor Toys - If it's taller than 30 inches and weighs more than 10 pounds, make sure it doesn't tip when placed on a 10 degree incline even with all movable portions extended and pointing down the incline.
4.17.5 Overload Requirements for Ride-On Toys and Seats - Seats should bear 3 times a child's weight. Essentially an adult should be able to sit on it without breaking it.
4.18 Confined Spaces - to eliminate possible entrapment or suffocation, 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. Closures 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.
4.26 Toy Chests - To minimize the possibility of entrapment, strangulation, crushing, pinching, or suffocation, Always use an approved toy box lid support installed according to the manufacturers directions. 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.
Remember these are just the summaries of some of the requirements. You should refer to the complete ASTM standards for exact details.