POTENTIAL HAZARDS THAT ARE FOUND ON TOYS:~ Small Parts ~ Long strings ~ Fur or hair ~ Weak stitching ~ Sharp points ~ Gaps or holes ~ Small removable attachments ~ Button batteries ~ Realistic-looking weapons ~ Attached toy box lids ~ Plastic spheres or beads ~ Poorly ventilated enclosed spaces |
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MOST COMMON INJURIES:
You must always remember to check the child's toy for potential hazards when buying or playing with the toy. When checking the toys you must consider loose parts, broken piece or sharp edges. Children under the age of 4 are most at risk from getting injured from toy hazards. Most common injuries that occur are choking, inhaling or swallowing small objects, Crushing body parts, cuts from sharp objects and strangulation from loose cords.
You must always remember to check the child's toy for potential hazards when buying or playing with the toy. When checking the toys you must consider loose parts, broken piece or sharp edges. Children under the age of 4 are most at risk from getting injured from toy hazards. Most common injuries that occur are choking, inhaling or swallowing small objects, Crushing body parts, cuts from sharp objects and strangulation from loose cords.
AVOIDING THESE HAZARDSAvoiding hazards when children are playing with toys is crucial and imperative for child's safety. These hazards have been listed above and can easily appear on your child's toys, potentially resulting in injury. Parents and caregivers should have an understanding of how to avoid these hazards and ensure the best possible safety for children. Firstly, it is vital that parents or caregivers are present when children are playing with toys, to ensure safety and reduce any chance of harm that could occur to the child. Secondly, when purchasing toys it is imperative that you carefully inspect the safety of the toys and remove any parts that could be unsafe in the future. Also, examine toys for any buttons, batteries, ribbons, eyes, beads, or plastic appendages that have become loose. This include immediately removing toy's plastic packaging which could cause possible suffocation as well as checking for sharp edges and small parts on toys. Likewise, it is important to remove strings or cords that are long than 30cm from any top, and it can be too easily wrapped around a young child's neck, risking strangulation. When storing toys it is significant to not put them in plastic, and have a toy box lid that can locked open or unattached to ensure there is no suffocation or the toy box lip falling on children. Furthermore, it is necessary that parents only allow their child to play with toys that are within their recommended age requirement. Lastly, parents or caregivers should always provide safety gear to their children when a toy requires it. Examples include when children are playing on a scooter, bike, skateboard or rollerblades. Hence, they should be provided with helmets, safety guards, shin pads and knee pads when participating with these toys. In conclusion, by applying these points to every day life, parents and/or caregivers are able to avoid and reduce potential hazards that could cause serious harm to their child.
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SAFETY REGULATION
AUSTRALIAN STANDARD
AS/NZ ISO 8124 Parts 1-7: Safety of Toys—deals with small parts, sharp points and edges, flammability of toys, moving parts and toxicity of toys.
AS/NZ ISO 8124 Parts 1-7: Safety of Toys—deals with small parts, sharp points and edges, flammability of toys, moving parts and toxicity of toys.
GUIDELINES WHEN PURCHASING TOYS;
When parents and/or caregivers purchase toys for children it is imperative that they follow certain guidelines and recognise safety precaution that should be taken. Firstly, select toys that meet the Australian and New Zealand Standard (otherwise known as AS/NZ ISO 8124, Parts 1-7) which deals with small parts, sharp points and edges, flammability of toys, moving parts and toxicity of toys. Other aspects include recognising toys that are BPA free, lead free, have no phthalates or cadmium and quick release clasp. Secondly, to check the recommended age on the label to make sure the toy is suitable for the child and is suitable for the child's current ability and stage of development. Always select toys that are well put together. The bigger the toy the better in most cases, especially when buying for children under the age of three. Thus, all separate parts of the toys should be bigger than a 20 cent coin to avoid any chance of choking. It is crucial that you a observant of your child's play and watch carefully if the younger child isn't playing with the other toys with a higher recommended age restriction. Hence, it is important that you read and understand the instruction of a toy to ensure safety and avoid any possible harm. Be wary of toys that make loud noises that might hurt a child's hearing, especially toys that are held against the ear such as walkie-talkies and toy mobile phones. Ensure ride-on toys are appropriate to the age of the child and are stable. Toy bikes should have effective brakes which are applied by the rider. Therefore, by following these guidelines you are ensuring safety of toys, and thus your child's safety.
When parents and/or caregivers purchase toys for children it is imperative that they follow certain guidelines and recognise safety precaution that should be taken. Firstly, select toys that meet the Australian and New Zealand Standard (otherwise known as AS/NZ ISO 8124, Parts 1-7) which deals with small parts, sharp points and edges, flammability of toys, moving parts and toxicity of toys. Other aspects include recognising toys that are BPA free, lead free, have no phthalates or cadmium and quick release clasp. Secondly, to check the recommended age on the label to make sure the toy is suitable for the child and is suitable for the child's current ability and stage of development. Always select toys that are well put together. The bigger the toy the better in most cases, especially when buying for children under the age of three. Thus, all separate parts of the toys should be bigger than a 20 cent coin to avoid any chance of choking. It is crucial that you a observant of your child's play and watch carefully if the younger child isn't playing with the other toys with a higher recommended age restriction. Hence, it is important that you read and understand the instruction of a toy to ensure safety and avoid any possible harm. Be wary of toys that make loud noises that might hurt a child's hearing, especially toys that are held against the ear such as walkie-talkies and toy mobile phones. Ensure ride-on toys are appropriate to the age of the child and are stable. Toy bikes should have effective brakes which are applied by the rider. Therefore, by following these guidelines you are ensuring safety of toys, and thus your child's safety.
STATISTICS
- Over the five year period from 2005–2010, 282 children were admitted to The Royal Children's Hospital for choking related issues.
- Poisoning most commonly affects children under 5 years of age and occurs due to accidental ingestion of products commonly found around the home.
- Children aged between 1-3 years are at the highest risk.
- One third of chocking or suffocation in children occurs due to small objects on toys.