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With the recent addition of Step2 to our product range, I have been looking closely at the number of enquiries we have received for some of the step2 toys that we do not yet stock. Quite a few questions regarding why some products have been left out of our catalog have come in and it’s probably time to address a few of these.
Put simply, if the product does not meet Australian Safety Standards, then you will not see it in our store. Let me explain:
When a product, in this case a toy, is imported for distribution on the Australian market, it is required to undergo and inspection by an approved body. This inspection is carried out to ascertain several important facts about a product such as, is it safe for your child, does it meet construction standards, is it a fire hazard or is it just plain dangerous.
Believe it or not, this testing is not mandatory for toys for children over 36 months and is reliant on the manufacturer or importer to submit a sample to a testing authority for this certification. The Safety Standard is AS/NZS ISO 8124.1:2002 and shows that the item has met the standards as laid down by Standards Australia. It is also stunningly expensive and in some cases compounded by the fact that the sample to be tested is no longer useable after the procedures have been carried out.
So why is it important? Well, apart from the incredibly obvious “Is it safe?” part, it has a crucial part in how insurers may see a particular product and may have an impact of a user’s ability to claim should something go wrong. Information such as “is the slide too steep”, “How many children will it hold”, “What age group it is best suited for”, “are there small parts that could be swallowed”, and more, are all vital for the safe and practical use of toys your children and their friends will use daily! If the unexpected does happen, it should be just that – Unexpected, not something that should have been preventable or glaringly obvious in the first place.
For the products that we do stock, they all meet the rigorous safety standards for construction and composition as laid down by the relevant authorities. Those that we don’t stock fall into two distinct and separate categories.
One: they have yet to be tested, or are undergoing that testing either now or in the immediate future. And
Two: They have either not been tested and would fail if they were. Simple!
We will not now, nor in the future offer for sale an inferior product or imitation of poor quality to you.
Contrary to popular belief, an inferior toy that looks remarkably like the genuine article is generally not even a close copy and whilst it has some of the physical similarities of the genuine article, it is the detail that lets it down. It is the “Up close and personal” inspection that reveals the extent of the imitations flaws.
Don’t fall for the hype. Simply ask the seller for a copy of the testing documentation. It’s that easy. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding the safety of our products.
Hugs,
Stacey, Wayne & Lily
August 2008 |
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