As reported by the Toy Industry Association (TIA), U.S. and Canadian regulators, standards development organizations, and toy industry representatives held discussions in Ottawa, Canada, on January 7 to discuss the possibility of unified U.S.-Canadian toy safety standards that would be acceptable for both countries to use in regulating toys.
Representatives of ASTM International, including members of the ASTM F15.22 Subcommittee on Toy Safety; Health Canada; the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC); TIA; and the Canadian Toy Association (CTA) were present. A steering committee was appointed to begin the initiative, and will first look at similarities between ASTM F963, which was signed into U.S. federal law in 2008 under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), and Health Canada’s Toys Regulations under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA). Initial discussions will focus on coming to an agreement regarding the scope of a unified toy standard and a path forward that will be suitable to both countries.
The TIA will keep members apprised of any developments on this topic.
