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Toy Safety Marks
Safety laws require that products sold are safe for your child to use. Millions of pounds are spent each year by manufacturers, trading standards and importers on research and the testing of new products to ensure their safety for our children to use. Make sure that the products you buy for your children conform to these standards by displaying one of the signs that we have explained below.
 The Kite Mark
When you see a toy or product with a Kite mark this means that the British Standards Institution has independently tested it and has confirmed that the product conforms to the relevant British Standard, and has issued a BSI license to the company to use the Kite mark. The manufacturer pays for this service and their product is tested, and the manufacturing process is assessed, at regular intervals.
The Kite mark is the symbol that gives consumers the assurance that the product they have bought really does conform to the appropriate British Standard and should therefore be safe and reliable.
Manufacturers are not legally required to display a Kite mark on their products, but many products such as those listed above with a BS reference will most likely have them displayed.
 The CE Mark
This symbol, the CE Mark, together with the name and address of the first supplier, was required by law to appear on all toys placed on the market in the European Union on and after January 1990 to show that it passes all European standards.
It is not a European safety marker or quality symbol. Its purpose is to indicate to authorities that the toys bearing it are intended for sale in the European Community, that they meet the essential safety requirements of the European Toy Safety Directive and are entitled to access European Community markets.
There may be warnings written by the mark and these should be heeded. A toy that is safe for a 5 year old may be dangerous when played with by a younger child. Anything that looks like a toy but does not have a CE mark should not be given to a child.
The CE Mark is now appearing on many other products including cycle helmets and knee and elbow protective pads used by skateboarders and others.
 The Lion Mark
The Lion Mark was developed in 1988 by the British Toy & Hobby Association as a symbol of toy safety and quality for the consumer.
While the Lion Mark is only used by BTHA members, its membership includes many major international and European companies. In all, the BTHA members supply around 95% of all toys sold in the UK.
For a toy to display the Lion Mark, the supplier has signed a strict Code of Practice, (the BATR Code is based on this same document), which, as well as covering toy safety matters, demands the highest standards of ethics in advertising.
 The Lion Mark for Retailers
The British Association of Toy Retailers joined with the British Toy and Hobby Association to develop the Lion Mark for use by retailers. By displaying this sign the retailer is saying that all products in the shop meet a certain standard of safety.
This symbol displayed in the shop, in catalogues and in retailer advertising, indicates that the retailer has agreed to the Code of Practice and as such, is prepared to make strenuous efforts not only to offer safe toys for sale, but to ensure management and staff are briefed on toy safety matters such as age warnings and similar.
For further information on this subject, see the DTI Toy Safety Fact Sheet which can be found here.
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