NEW YORK — The acting chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission lashed out Monday at the toy industry for a lack of safety controls that led to a string of highly publicized recalls, and she warned that the industry has the obligation to regulate itself.
“I will not tolerate this industry . . . not complying with our regulations,” Nancy Nord said in an address at the annual American International Toy Fair expo, whose four-day run ends Wednesday.
Nord said the federal agency, under attack for not acting quickly enough to eliminate hazardous products from store shelves, is adding staff and working more closely with customs officials to stop suspect imports. But she noted that “we all need to take responsibility” to make toys safer, and she said she was “very angry” about recalls involving lead paint because they showed a breakdown in quality control.
Nord’s comments came as the agency works closely with the Toy Industry Association to develop mandatory testing standards after millions of toys were recalled last year because of lead or other hazards. There were 61 toy recalls last year, compared with 40 in 2006, she said.
The trade group on Monday released details of a certification program that mandates uniform testing, auditing of factories and risk-assessment analysis of each product.
The program dovetails with pending federal legislation that will authorize the CPSC to create such a program or designate a body to do so.
The final initiative by the industry group and the American National Standards Institute will be released this week and will be subject to a 30-day public-comment review. After the public-comment period, a final proposal will be presented to the industry group’s board for final adoption and implementation.
The certification proposal put forth Monday specifies that toymakers must have an accredited laboratory to test a random selection of toys. The frequency of testing depends on how the factory is rated regarding quality control.
Certification will be accredited based on the company’s design, hazardous analysis, factory audits and product testing.
