Toy guidelines - Safety is not child’s play

Strict safety guidelines are being considered for implementation throughout the European Union in the coming weeks.

The new directive, which will replace the 1988 Toy Safety Directive, is due to be implemented by the end of 2010.

The updating should provide better protection for children and reassure parents who buy toys manufactured by some 2,000 companies in the EU.

It is expected that there will be specific rules to cut the use of hazardous chemical substances, and also provide specifications for detailed safety warnings.

Even in the midst of the economic down turn, the toy business is likely to boom at this time of year with producers targeting some 78 million children in the EU.

While toy manufacturers are responsible for the safety of their products, member states must ensure the legislation is properly enforced. But everybody should be aware the new safety rules have yet to be implemented.

The fact that the directive is only being considered now, when the shops will have all stocked up for Christmas, should act as a reminder for everybody of the need to be conscious of toy safety.