Česká obchodní inspekce

Press service - Press Reports

Member states of the European Union are currently accepting preventive measures against children´s clothing equipped with dangerous fastening and tightening ropes.

(Prague, December 2, 2009). Long ropes and tightening ropes on children´s clothing represent a serious danger for children. Supervisory bodies of 11 member states initiated a mutual action, which tries to eliminate such dangers, by removing such clothing from the market. To this day, more than 1,400 types of children´s clothing have been removed from the market.

Since August 2008, the PROSAFE organization together with 11 member states, has been actively participating in this inspection activity, trying to remove dangerous children´s clothing from the market. It is known that this type of clothing causes many children´s accidents around the world every year. In extreme cases, this clothing may even cause a death of a child. Long ropes around the hood or neck may suffocate the child, if such rope gets wrapped around the throat or if it gets stuck while playing at the playground. If such ropes are located on the back, for example, they may be caught in a bus door or in similar moving equipment. Serious accidents may happen if the bus driver fails to notice and the bus begins to move.

On November 30th, the parties organizing this inspection event held a half-day conference in Brussels, where they want presented results and conclusions relevant to this issue. Even though the mutual event will finish no sooner than during February 2010, the current information received from various member states, proves that each state focuses on these issues and that many results will be available.

During this inspection event, more than 3.500 inspections have been performed, focusing mainly on retail sellers.
Participants in this event inspected more than 11.000 types of various children´s clothing.
The total number of products forbidden from being sold on the market reached above 1.400 types of clothing. Two thirds of these products were manufactured for small children between the age 0-7 and the rest was designed for children up to 14 years of age.
The highest number of unsatisfactory children´s clothing was equipped with tightening ropes, located around the neck and the hood area. These cases represented 60% from the entire number of unsatisfactory clothing. Additional 20% of dangerous products were clothing equipped with tightening ropes located around the chest and waist.
During border inspections, customs authorities inspected 60 children´s clothing shipments.

The European committee received more than 250 reports from the RAPEX system (System for rapid exchange of information), warning about dangerous children´s clothing. These reports have been reflecting the activities of the inspection authorities since August 2009. During this monitored time period, 5 times more findings and discoveries have been recorded, when compared with the last year. Work of inspectors from each individual state helped tremendously in a sense that the danger posed by tightening ropes in children´s clothing became more evident and therefore the Rapex system kept receiving more and more warnings and reports.

Recommendation to consumers

Even the market supervisory activities have been going on, it is very probable that consumers will encounter dangerous children clothing at various stores or that they have already purchased such clothes. Also parents or relatives may sew and produce their own clothing, which may not comply with the applicable safety regulations. Therefore, the inspection authorities participating in the mutual inspection event, created six general rules to be followed by consumers:

Six recommendations relevant to dangerous children´s clothing

clothing for children up to 7 year of age (height up to 1.34 m) cannot have tightening ropes around the neck or throat area.

clothing for children of age between 7 - 8 years, may not have tightening ropes around the hood or throat longer than 75 mm or tightening ropes with loose ends. Tightening ropes around the hood and throat area may not be elastic, except ropes above shoulders that keep the clothing on shoulders and ropes around the throat - but without loose ends.

clothing for small children cannot have ropes or tightening ropes with loose ends longer than 140 mm in the chest or waist area.

children´s clothing may not have loose end ropes around the throat and hood area

children´s clothing that is tightened in the front may be equipped with belts or bands that are used for the tightening only if the length of the untied belt or band, measured from the place where they will be tightened, is less than 360 mm.

other tightening ropes on children´s clothing may not have loose ends under sleeves or lower edge of the clothing. Tightening ropes, other ropes and decorative ropes located around the bottom-end of trouser legs must be entirely inside the trouser leg.

Children´s clothing made at home should also comply with the above-requirements.

If you already own clothing that does not comply with these parameters, you should cut the ropes off or remove them. You may also claim the clothing as defective at the store where you bought it and inform the seller about the danger posed by such clothing.

Ropes and tightening ropes are fastened to the clothing.

Tightening ropes are ropes that go through some sort of a tubing or through a loop or an eye.

Background of the inspection event

The mutual event is coordinated by the PROSAFE organization - "the European forum for enforcing the use of safe products". This is a non-profit organization and interconnects inspection authorities throughout the entire World, including Europe.

This mutual inspection event is supported financially by the European Committee DG SANCO.

In accordance with the applicable directive describing general product safety, only safe products may be sold at European markets. This must be enforced by manufactures, importers and sellers. Ropes and tightening ropes on children´s clothing are considered safe to use, only if they comply with European standard EN 14682 - "Children´s clothing safety - ropes, tightening ropes on children´s clothing - specifications".

Information recorded in the RAPEX system, relevant to children´s clothing and warning about dangerous products may be found at the European Committee web page:

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/dyna/rapex/rapex_archives_en.cfm

print, back to list