Safety inspections intensified as toys flood market
SIBU: Children’s toys which are popular as Christmas gifts are flooding stores and supermarkets so the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism ( KPDNKK) is beefing up checks for compliance.
The assurance came from KPDNKK Sarawak chief enforcement officer Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rahim.
“Yes, we have intensified inspections in view of the coming Christmas celebration,” he said yesterday.
Abdul Hafiz was asked if the ministry had stepped up inspections at premises selling children’s toys to ensure they carry the Malaysian Conformity ( MC) Mark.
This mark (MC) is an indicator that a particular toy supplied or sold in Malaysia conforms to safety standards prescribed by the ministry and is safe for children.
The toys must be marked or affixed with the conformity mark together with the registration number determined by the ministry on the product or packaging, among others.
According to its website, as of Aug 1, 2010 – the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co- operatives and Consumerism has enforced toy safety regulations.
It gazetted the Consumer Protection ( Certificate of Conformance and Conformity Mark of Safety Standards) Regulations 2010, Consumer Protection ( Safety Standards for Toys) Regulations 2009; and Consumer Protection ( Safety Standards for Toys) (Amendment) Regulations 2010.
These regulations were enforced on Aug 1, 2010 to ensure that toys supplied in Malaysian market are safe and to minimise potential hazards associated with toys resulting from use in intended play modes (normal use) as well as unintended play modes (reasonable foreseeable abuse).
On classification, it said based on the toy safety standards, Malaysian Standard ( MS) toys means goods designed or intended for use in play by children less than 14 years of age.
“Normally, it will be the child who chooses the toys of his/her liking. However, it is the parents’ responsibility to ensure the toys purchased for their children are suitable for their age and safe to play with,” it stated.
A parent met at a departmental store here yesterday said he would give toys as gifts to his children every year.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said he would check that the toys have the MC marking before purchasing them.
“We cannot leave everything to the authority; as parents, we need to be knowledgeable when picking toys for our children.
“Toys must be safe and suited to the age of our children. Small parts from toys can cause choking if young children put them in their mouths. Hence, parents must choose toys wisely,” he said.