Objective. The objective of §§ 1500.51, 1500.52, and 1500.53 is to describe specific test methods for simulating normal use of toys and other articles intended for use by children as well as the reasonably foreseeable damage or abuse to which the articles may be subjected. The test methods are for use in exposing potential hazards that would result from the normal use or the reasonably foreseeable damage or abuse of such articles intended for children.

Application—general. (1)(i) The test methods described in §§ 1500.51, 1500.52 and 1500.53 are to be used in determining what is normal use and reasonably foreseeable damage or abuse when specifically referenced under § 1500.18. Other banning regulations may also reference these use and abuse toy test procedures.

The test methods described in §§ 1500.51, 1500.52, and 1500.53 have been established for articles intended for the specified age groups of children: 18 months of age or less, over 18 months but not over 36 months of age, and over 36 months but not over 96 months of age. If an article is marked, labeled, advertised, or otherwise intended for children of ages spanning more than one of these age groups, the article will be subjected to the tests providing the most stringent requirements. If an article is not age-labeled in a clear and conspicuous manner or, based on such factors as marketing practices and the customary patterns of usage of a product by children, is inappropriately age-labeled, and is intended or appropriate for children 96 months of age or less, it will also be subjected to the most stringent test requirements.

For purposes of compliance with the test methods prescribed in §§ 1500.51, 1500.52, and 1500.53, the English system shall be used. The metric approximations are provided in parentheses for convenience and information only.

Each of the test methods described in §§ 1500.51, 1500.52, and 1500.53 shall be applied to a previously untested sample except the tension test which shall be conducted with the test sample used in the torque test.

Prior to testing, each sample shall be subjected to a temperature of 73°±3 °F. (23°±2 °C.) as a relative humidity of 20−70 percent for a period of at least 4 hours. The toy testing shall commence within five minutes after the toy has been removed from the preconditioning atmosphere.

Toys reasonably intended to be assembled by an adult and not intended to be taken apart by a child shall be tested only in the assembled state if the shelf package and the assembly instructions prominently indicate that the article is to be assembled only by an adult.

Toys intended to be repeatedly assembled and taken apart shall have the individual pieces as well as the completed article subjected to these test procedures.

In situations where a test procedure may be applied in more than one way to a toy test component, the point (or direction) of force (or torque) application which results in the most severe conditions shall be used.

Definitions. As used in this section and in §§ 1500.51, 1500.52, and 1500.53:

Toy means any toy, game, or other article designed, labeled, advertised, or otherwise intended for use by children.

Mouth toy means any toy reasonably intended to be placed into or in contact with a child's mouth.