As part of an EU-wide inspection campaign aimed at protecting consumers, the BAVG and the Austrian Customs Office (ZAÖ) have inspected toy imports from third countries. The examination of 89 children's activity toys showed that 83% of the products did not comply with EU safety standards - the majority of which were purchased online.
The products were tested in an accredited laboratory in Spain on behalf of the EU's Directorate for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). The categories tested included indoor climbing frames, activity towers and various swings. Only 15 products (17%) met the EU requirements for safe toys. The main shortcomings related to the stability of the products and the risk of injury such as trapping the head, neck or fingers. The risk of swallowing detachable small parts and sharp edges were also identified. In addition, only 29 (32.5%) of the samples met the EU requirements for warnings, labelling and instructions.
Based on the test results, the authorities recalled 20 products, withdrew eight from the market and issued sales bans for a further eight. Manufacturers of three products were asked to make changes and three others had to be labelled with appropriate warnings. The overwhelming majority of the faulty products (62 out of 89 samples) were purchased online, of which only 5 (8%) passed the tests. In contrast, 37% of products purchased in physical shops passed the safety tests.
Consumers are urged to only buy products with the CE mark, as this guarantees compliance with EU safety standards. In addition, unsafe products should be reported to market surveillance authorities to remove dangerous products and protect companies from unfair competition.