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Trade and Industry Department The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Brand Hong Kong - Asia world city
MY COLOUR

Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 111/2/21

5 August 2011

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 472/2011

US : The Stay of Enforcement for Testing and Certification Requirements pertaining to ASTM F 963 Toy Safety Standard to be Lifted on 1 January 2012; CPSC's Notice on Requirements for Accreditation of Third Party Conformity Assessment Bodies related to Testing of Toys

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published in the Federal Register (FR) of 3 August 2011 a notice of requirements that provides the criteria and process for CPSC's acceptance of accreditation of third party conformity assessment bodies for testing pursuant to the ASTM toy safety standard. These accreditation requirements came into effect on 3 August 2011. The FR notice is available at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-08-03/pdf/2011-18962.pdf. Interested parties may submit comments in response to this notice of requirements to the CPSC by 2 September 2011.

2.Traders have been informed via Commercial Information Circulars No. 657/2009 dated 29 December 2009 and 101/2011 dated 9 February 2011 of the CPSC's stay of enforcement, until further notice, of testing and certification requirements of various products including toys. Through the publication of this notice of requirements, the CPSC announced the stay of enforcement of the third-party testing and certification requirements pertaining to the ASTM F 963 toy safety standard is effective until 31 December 2011.

DETAILS

3.Pursuant to the US Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), as amended by the US Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA), and this notice of requirements, each manufacturer (including the importer) or private labeller of toys, which are designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger, subject to the ASTM F 963 toy safety standard must have such products manufactured on or after 1 January 2012, tested by a third party conformity assessment body accredited to do so, and must issue a certificate of compliance with the applicable regulations based on that testing.

4.This notice of requirements provides the criteria and process for CPSC's acceptance of accreditation of third party conformity assessment bodies for testing pursuant to ASTM International's Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, F 963-08 (ASTM F 963-08) and section 4.27 (toy chests) from ASTM F 963-07ε1 version of the standard (section 4.27 of ASTM F 963-07ε1), which are the consumer product safety standards for toys pursuant to the CPSIA.

5.Third party conformity assessment bodies, that wish to be accredited to test the toys for conformity with the applicable test methods as codified in the standards mentioned above, must be accredited by an accrediting body that is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation-Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC-MRA) and the accreditation must be registered with, and accepted by the CPSC. The CPSC has established an electronic accreditation registration and listing system that can be accessed via its website at http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/labaccred.html. Please refer to the FR notice for details of the requirements for accreditation.

ENQUIRIES

6.For enquiries concerning this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5682.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Carmen CHAN)



Note ：

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.