ISO/TR 8124-8, “Safety of toys – Part 8: Age determination guidelines,” has just been revised. The new 2nd Edition is available now from Document Center Inc. in both paper format and for pdf download. It updates and replaces the previous 1st Edition from 2014. This technical report is the last of 8 parts for the ISO 8124 series on toy safety.
What does ISO/TR 8124-8 address? This part of the series covers what’s called “age grading.” It tracks the development cycle from birth to age 14 for children with regards to toys. It should be used by any organization who provides toys to children as part of it’s mission. This includes teachers, child psychologists and so on. And it is essential for toy designers and manufacturers so they can identify the lowest age that children start playing with toys in specific categories. This allows for not only appropriateness in marketing but also compliance with various regulations and safety standards.
Where are the changes in this new 2nd Edition? ISO/TR 8124-8 2016 is a technical update. There are changes throughout the document. This starts in the definitions section, which has a number of revisions. For example, toys for social relationships is now part of the definition for category. Other changes occur throughout the balance of the publication.
For those of you in the toy business, you’ll find the information to be clear and concise. Each stage of development is explained and appropriate toys are listed. And Annex A gives you a tabular summary of all the various categories and subcategories (like 1.11 [category 1, subcategory 11] for bath toys (animals, small boats, and floating objects) which are appropriate for any given age (in this case, children 4 months and older.) Annex B provides you with additional information on considerations for electronic toys. A 5-item Bibliography completes the document.
One great thing about this report is the detail that’s provided for each of the age breakdown’s regarding child development and the appropriate toys for each stage. I’ve been known to provide kids with toys as gifts that are not quite right, as I no longer have any children in the house. I’ll be taking a look at this report the next time Christmas rolls around!
Now you’ll need a copy and where better than Document Center Inc.? We’ve been an authorized distributor of ISO standards since the 1990’s. Use our webstore at www.document-center.com to order your copies online. Here’s a direct link for the order page for ISO/TR 8124-8. And remember, if you need an enterprise solution, our Standards Online subscription service is just what you’ve been looking for! Contact our staff by phone (650-591-7600) or email (info@document-center.com) for more information now. After all, we’re your Standards Experts!
