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April 11, 2007
Volume: 04-07
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REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS TOY INDUSTRY UPDATES New Guidelines Focuses On Fragrances And Children's Toys The International Fragrance Association's (IFRA) Code of Practice was updated in December to include additional precautions affecting items containing a fragrance that are intended for use as a toy by children under three (3) years of age, or which are intended to go into a child's mouth, or where mouth contact by a child is reasonably foreseeable. Read more. For more information on whether your items meet these new IFRA guidelines, contact your local STR office, or email inquiry@strus.com. Updated Requirements For Hemispherically-Shaped Objects And Children Tea Set Cups In US & EU EU - New EC Directive
2007/184/EC was published on March 23, 2007 requiring the cup-shaped,
bowl-shaped or one half of an egg-shaped toys having a nearly round,
oval or elliptical opening which are intended for drinking, such as toy
tea sets must have an EC type examination certificate and the
conformity with the approved model must have been certified by the
affixation of the EC marking. San Francisco Proposes Repeal Of Ordinance Banning Sale Of Toys And Childcare Articles With Bisphenol-A And Limiting Scope Of Phthalate Ban As reported in TIA Bulletins No. S-19, S-27 and S-30, issued in 2006, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors last year unanimously approved an ordinance to ban toys and childcare articles made with or containing more than 0.1% of any of six phthalates or Bisphenol-A (BPA). Read More. The article above was reprinted with the permission and authorization of the TIA - Toy Industry Association, Inc. For more information regarding TIA membership and the many benefits the association provides, please contact the TIA at: Toy Industry Association, Inc., 115 Broadway, New York, NY 10010. Tel.: 212 675-1141, Fax: 212-633-1429 or via e-mail: www.toy-tia.org. New ASTM Standard For Children's Folding Chairs The new ASTM F2613-07 for children's
folding chairs was recently published by the ASTM Technical
Subcommittee F15.59 in March, 2007. It covers a folding chair intended
to be used a child with a seat height 15 inches or less. EUROPEAN UPDATES Updated Nickel Release Test Method - EN 12472:2005 Nickel is a well known element that may cause skin allergy to human, especially high risk in items with prolonged skin contact or inserting into pierced parts of human body. Two amendments of the EC Directive 76/769/EEC* had restricted the use of this metal in products like earrings, necklaces, watch straps, rivet buttons and zippers, etc. The amount of Nickel released from coated items is analyzed by standard methods EN 12472 and followed by EN 1811. The standard method for simulation of wear and corrosion for the detection of nickel release, EN 12472:2005, has recently been harmonized**, superseding the former version (EN 12472:1998. Read more. European Commission Novelty Lighter Ban In Force On March 11, 2007 a European Commission decision came into force, requiring all cigarette lighters be child resistant and "novelty" lighters that might appeal to children be banned. Certain "luxury" lighters are exempted as are lighters that are refillable, can be repaired by a European-based "after-sales" service, and are sold with a two year guarantee. For the definition of a novelty lighter and further details, click here. EC To Extend Hair Dye Assessment In View Of New Data On Sensitisation Recently, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) draws the EC's attention to the fact that many of the hair dye substances currently used in hair dye products have the potential to cause skin sensitisation. A person sensitised to a hair dye substance may eventually develop skin allergy to this substance. In order to fully assess the safety implications of the memorandum findings for consumers the inherent sensitising properties of these substances and the real life exposure of consumers (frequency of use, amounts used, proportion of the population potentially affected, types and severity of effects, etc) must be considered. Read more. REACH Standardisation Working Group Established The new regulation 1907/2006 for the control of chemical substances (REACH) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on December 30, 2006 and will enter into force on June 1, 2007. In the framework of REACH, a European Chemicals Agency has been created to manage the technical, scientific and administrative aspects of the REACH system, and will ensure consistency of decision making at European level. The agency will also provide opinions and recommendations on the authorisation and restrictions on chemicals. Read more. Standards Update On Electrical Appliances That Appeal To Children The 4th amendment to BS EN 60335-1: 2002 has been published. The BS EN 60335 standards cover the safety of electrical household and similar appliances (including appliances containing electronics). The requirements from BS EN 60335-1 in regard to electronic apparatus with child-appeal have changed. Click here for the summary of the current requirements (RE: use by children and products with child-appeal) from the BS EN 60335-1: 2002 to the 3rd amendment (+A11 + A1 +A12). Restriction On PFOS In Europe A new Directive 2006/122/EC, amending the Directive 76/769/EC which restricts the marketing and use of perfluorooctane sulfonates (PFOS), has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Member States should adopt and publish local laws and regulations no later than December 27, 2007 in order to comply with this Directive. The latest enforcement date of the requirements under this Directive is June 27, 2008. Read more. RoHS UPDATES RoHS Compliance: Have You Verified The Accuracy Of Supplier Certificates? Producers of electrical and electronic equipment must demonstrate compliance to the RoHS directive providing the governing enforcement authority, upon request, with "satisfactory" evidence of such compliance in the form of relevant technical documentation or information. In essence a company has to prove its' due diligence in the event a product is found to be non-compliant. The defense of "due diligence" is available where a person (or company) can demonstrate that he took all "reasonable" steps and exercised all due diligence to avoid committing an offense. Read more. |
EVENTS/SEMINARS STR To Exhibit And Present At ChinaPlas 2007 Please join STR at booth 2D343 in Hall 2D at the upcoming Chinaplas 2007 Exhibition on May 21-24, 2007 at the Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Based on STR's 40 years of experience with Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., Alyce Mayer has been invited by UL to co-present a seminar on STR's Complementary Services as they relate to UL's Plastics Certification Program & Material Pre-Selection. The UL presenter will be George Fechtmann, P.E., who was recently appointed as the Principal Engineer for Plastics. The seminar will be held on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. Read more. C-TPAT Compliance Seminars In Mexico And Indonesia CSCC is pleased to announce a series of regional workshops in Jakarta, Indonesia on Thursday, April 19, 2007 and in Puebla Mexico on Tuesday, April 24, 2007. The seminars are geared towards suppliers,
licensees, vendors and manufacturers who are working on the fast track
to becoming Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)
compliant! The seminar will utilize actual field examples of possible
solutions, with ideas for small and large factories. Seminars are one
half day long and will be presented in the local language by CSCC
experts. Brochures & registration information: STR-UK To Attend Association Of Suppliers To The British Clothing Industry (ASBCI) Annual Conference STR-UK will attend ASBCI annual conference to be held on May 17, 2007 in Forest of Arden, Meriden, Warwickshire. The title of this year's conference is "Fast, Affordable and Sustainable Fashion - can we really have it all?" Speakers come from a diverse range of backgrounds and include Dr Julian Allwood from the Institute of Manufacturing, Cambridge University, Krishan Hundal - Marks & Spencer, Dr Graham Catton - Unilever UK, Colin McDowell, fashion editor for the Sunday Times, and others from Industry and Government bodies. For more information on the conference, click here. STR To Be Contributing Sponsor For ICPHSO Conference In Beijing STR is proud to be a Contributing Sponsor of the first ICPHSO/AQSIQ conference being held in Beijing, China on May 21 and 22, 2007. The conference focuses on, "Consumer Product Safety, Our Common Responsibility". The life cycle of products in three categories - Electrical and Electronic Goods, Toys and Juvenile Products, and Household Products - will be discussed by a variety of international speakers, with the focus on ensuring safety in the global marketplace. STR is co-chairing the Toys and Juvenile Products session, and Susan DeRagon and Ben Lau of STR, will be speaking about pre-market evaluation of these products. For additional information on this conference, please visit the ICPHSO website at www.icphso.org. Shuster Laboratories To Exhibit At National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show Please join Shuster Laboratories at NRA's International Food Service Marketplace Show being held May 19-22, 2007 at McCormick Place in Chicago. IL. Shuster will have an exhibit at booth #9375, and will showcase the company's comprehensive quality assurance services for the food service industry. If you would like to meet with the Shuster staff during the show or learn more about our programs and services, please contact Katie Griffin at katie.griffin@shusterlabs.com. For more information about the event, please visit www.restaurant.org/show/. ASTM International Meetings To Be Held In April David Chianese, Electrical Engineer for the Industrial Products and Materials department, will be attending ASTM meetings in Norfolk, Virginia during the ASTM "Committee Week" held on April 18, 2007. As a member of the F40 Main committee and the F40.01 Test Methods subcommittee, for Declarable Substances in Materials (RoHS), D09 Electrical and Electronic Insulating Materials, D09.12 Electrical Tests and D09.17 Thermal Characteristics, David is able to vote on the directions these committees take in regards to the ASTM standards. Both committees set up working groups for discussion to prioritize items that need to be addressed. These methods are used to introduce new standards as well as keeping the existing ASTM standards up to date. For more information on ASTM or your UL 1446 insulation system and RoHS testing needs, please contact David at david.chianese@strus.com. SHUSTER NEWS Shuster Laboratories' Founder Inducted Into The Private Label Hall Of Fame Dr. Shuster, founder of Shuster Laboratories, was inducted last month into the Private Label Hall of Fame, a PLMA (Private Label Manufacturer Association) and Private Label Magazine co-sponsored program honoring men and women who have contributed to the success of store brands. We all are very proud of Dr. Shuster's work and are pleased with the private label industry's decision to recognize his tremendous contribution to the growth and evolution of the industry. An award ceremony recognizing the honorees was held at the PLMA Leadership Conference, also held last month in Florida. Mr. Gene Damon, Senior Vice President of Shuster, and Mr. Jim Shuster, Dr. Shuster's son, were in attendance. When Dr. Shuster started Shuster Laboratories in 1955, he was a true visionary. A brilliant MIT-educated scientist, Dr. Shuster was a tireless advocate for quality, a forward thinker who saw possibilities where none existed before, and an innovator who made things happen. As a founding member of the Private Label Manufacturing Association, Dr. Shuster was a driving force behind what is now a sixty billion dollar industry. Today, Dr. Shuster's pioneering spirit lives on at Shuster Laboratories. His commitment to high standards and expectation of quality is the foundation of our business and as part of Specialized Technology Resources (STR), Shuster continues to be a global quality leader that Dr. Shuster envisioned over 50 years ago. |
Client Confidentiality Please note that none of the articles make a direct reference to any past or present client. It is our policy and practice to maintain strict client confidentiality at all times. Our business, and yours, depend on it! |
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