The safety of toys is a major concern among parents of small children. Unsafe toys present several risks for children such as the risk of choking on small toys or toy parts, the risk of physical injury from sharp edges or points on toys, and even long-term adverse effects on a child’s health due to toxic elements present in toy materials like plastics, paints and fabrics. Standards on the safety of toys and certification of the safety of toys according to these standards, therefore, play an important role in ensuring that toys are safe for children to play with.
BIS has published several Indian Standards on the safety of toys. These Indian Standards are aligned with the existing International Standards for toy safety i.e. Standards formulated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India has issued the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 under Section 16 of the BIS Act, 2016. This QC Order makes it mandatory for toys for children of 14 years of age or younger to conform to 7 Indian Standards for Safety of Toys (prescribing requirements for physical, chemical and electrical safety of toys) and bear the ISI Mark under a licence from BIS. This QC order has come into force from 1st Jan 2021. Accordingly, no person is permitted to manufacture, import sell or distribute, store, hire, lease or exhibit for sale toys which do not conform to the Indian Standard and do not bear the “ISI” Mark under a licence from BIS.
BIS grants licences to toy manufacturing units to use the ISI mark on toys, based on an assessment of their manufacturing and testing capability through a factory visit as well as testing of toys in a BIS Lab or BIS Recognized Lab as per the Indian Standards. Toys are tested for various physical, chemical and electrical safety requirements to ensure that they are safe for children. For instance, toys are tested to see if they present a choking hazard, or sharp points or edges, which can injure a child and also to determine the concentration of certain toxic elements such as arsenic, chromium, lead etc. in toys to ensure that they are within safe limits.
Toy manufacturing units holding BIS licence are required to ensure that the toys produced by them are tested regularly and follow a defined Scheme of Inspection and Testing. As part of its market and factory surveillance activities, BIS conducts surveillance visits at the licensed manufacturing units and also draws samples of toys from the factories and the market and gets them tested at BIS labs and BIS-recognized labs. More than 900 Toy manufacturers, mostly from the MSME sector, have already taken BIS certification. Consumers should make sure that they purchase only safe toys bearing the “ISI” Mark from the market.