Customs offer toy safety tips to parents

Parents should be on the alert for potential hazards of festive toys and take heed of the bilingual choking hazard warnings and the battery usage instructions on toys, a spokesman of the Customs and Excise Department warned today (December 19).

These toys include toy latex balloons, sponge toys, projectile toys, toy train sets or toy cars, toy plane models and other battery-operated toys.

Recently, the Department conducted 70 spot checks on the safety of Christmas toys at toys suppliers. A variety of 13 samples of toys were sent to the Government Laboratory for safety tests.

Testing results showed that five samples were safe. Seven of the remaining items failed to comply with the requirements to provide instructions on safe battery usage, identification markings under the Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance ("TCPSO") and Regulation.

A toy plane model was found to have accessible sharp points, posing hazards to young children. The risk grading was assessed to be 'moderate'. Prohibition Notice was issued to the trader concerned.

From December 2005 to November 2006, Customs conducted 1,120 spot checks on the safety of toys.

In the same period, four wholesalers and four retailers of toys were prosecuted, and 226 toy suppliers were served with written warnings for supplying toys which had failed to comply with the requirements under TCPSO.

Below are some toy safety tips for parents:

• Look for labels that give age recommendations when choosing toys. Never choose toys which are only suitable for children over three years old for children under three;
• Read and follow all instructions on toys; Beware of toys with sharp points or cutting edges;
• Keep small balls and marbles out of a child's reach since they are particularly dangerous to children aged under three. Tiny toys and toys with small, removable parts might be swallowed, inhaled and might choke a child to death;
• Keep magnetic toys away from a child's reach. If a child swallows more than one magnet, the magnets can attract each other in the body and cause intestinal perforation or blockage, which can be fatal. Parents should seek immediate medical attention if a child swallows magnets.
• Beware of the paint on toys that might contain excessive level of lead, which is harmful to children's kidney.
• Keep deflated balloons away from children and discard broken balloons at once as children under eight years old can choke or suffocate on swallowing deflated or broken balloons;
• Make sure batteries in toys are properly installed and not accessible to a child. Besides, it is dangerous to mix old batteries with new ones; or to mix alkaline with carbon-zinc batteries, or rechargeable with non-rechargeable batteries; and
• Do not let children put musical toys close to their ears when playing. Cover the sound producing device with self-adhesive tape to reduce the volume.

The spokesman appealed to members of the public to call Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 to report suspected unsafe toys or children's products.

Ends/Tuesday, December 19, 2006

A singing walking santa toy was found to have no instructions on safe battery usage, and no producer's marking/identification marking.

A toy plane model was found to have accessible sharp points, posing hazards to young children. The risk grading was assessed to be 'moderate'. Prohibition Notice was issued to the trader concerned.