CHILDREN'S BOOKS TESTING

Safety testing for the European Market

Designers, editors and publishers on the children’s books market must ensure that their products are safe, good quality and compliant with the latest safety regulations. One of the crucial issues is to know when a children’s book is a toy and when it is a book; the answer to this question will determine the regulatory framework applicable to the product.


Any books falling under the definition of a toy will have to be compliant with the new Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC if sold on the European market. Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, the number one in toy testing worldwide, can help businesses in the publishing industry understand their obligations, assist them in marketing safe and compliant children’s books and ultimately protect their brands.

Our approach is to provide you with comprehensive services, including testing and technical consultancy, for all your children’s books, whatever the materials they are made from.

The first step of the process will be defining if a children’s book is a toy or not.

Definition of a toy as per the new EU Toy Safety Directive:
“Any product designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play
by children under 14 years of age”. The “play value” of a book could be determined by key criteria such as the number of pages, the type of materials used, the sensory elements of the book, the level of details, the colour levels/contrasts and electronic features.

Testing

Our toy services include a host of EN71 testing to ensure whatever your requirements we have the ability to ensure a rigorous approach with a fast turnaround:
- Physical & Mechanical testing
- Flammability testing
- Chemical testing
- Electrical testing


Safety Assessment

In order to help you comply with the new Toy Safety Directive, we have developed three levels of safety assessments that range from a basic safety overview to a more comprehensive screening and design evaluation of your product. Our solutions will help you measure the level of risk that children’s books potentially pose for those companies placing them on the European market.