In total 5055 controls were performed, out of which 1564 were focused on abidance with obligations provided by the Act on General Safety of Products (Act No. 22/1997 Coll.) and at the same time inspectors monitored abidance with information obligations according to the Act on Consumer Protection. A part of the controls had a specific focus – searching for products filed in the alert RAPEX system. Breaches of requirements when placing toys on the market were detected in 556 cases (i.e. 35.5% of controls); out of these, in 198 cases (12.7% of controls) it was directly infringement of obligations provided by the applicable government order on toys. The CTI inspectors issued bans on sale of 12,901 pieces of toys in the total amount of CZK 1,341,598.
During 2010, the CTI dealt with 42 complaints – especially on safety of toys and unfair commercial practices when selling toys. These complaints were impulses to controls.
|
CTI Inspectorate ČOI
|
Number of controls
|
Controls with findings
|
Total findings in %
|
Infringements of Act No 22/1997 Coll.
|
Findings in %
|
|
Středočeský
a Prague
|
271
|
45
|
16,6 %
|
29
|
10,7
|
|
Jihočeský a Vysočina
|
253
|
66
|
26,1 %
|
5
|
2,0
|
|
Plzeňský a Karlovarský
|
265
|
120
|
45,3 %
|
102
|
38,5
|
|
Ústecký a Liberecký
|
360
|
177
|
49,2 %
|
20
|
5,6
|
|
Královéhradecký a Pardubický
|
208
|
41
|
19,7 %
|
8
|
3,8
|
|
Jihomoravský a Zlínský
|
90
|
31
|
34,4 %
|
12
|
13,3
|
|
Moravskoslezský a Olomoucký
|
117
|
76
|
|
22
|
18,8
|
|
In Total
|
1564
|
556
|
35,5 %
|
198
|
12,7
|
In the frame of RAPEX investigation activities, in the Czech market 10 types of toys were found among which the most frequent risk was the risk of suffocation by small parts; in two cases toys had excessive contents of phthalates. Concretely these toys were for example sets of balls, puppets, plastic toys, a scooter or puzzle blocks which were subsequently withdrawn from the market. Most frequently the sale of defective toys filed in the international alert system was detected in north Moravia (15 cases) and eastern Bohemia (6 cases). Last year there were 3 toys filed in the RAPEX system from the Czech Republic that did not meet requirements on toys; concretely these were a doll buggy, a rattle-saxophone and a rocking giraffe.
In the last year, totally 57 types of toys were assessed and 35 of them did not meet safety requirements. In most cases there was a risk of swallowing small parts, especially of various plastic or cuddly toys, or there was a danger of suffocation (as it was in the case of growing animals). The CTI continuously informed consumers about these products via its web page and the media.
Also this year, the Czech Trade Inspection will focus on controls of toys as they are designed for the smallest users who are not able to recognize possible risks and cannot defend on their own.
This is why the CTI recommends all consumers who look for toys to pay attention to proper markings of information about the producer, importer or distributor, to risks caused by incorrect use and to manual in the Czech language. They should also respect information about the age for which the toy is designed – through a wrong purchase one can make a safe toy become a dangerous one which can cause a continuous injury. And last but not least, consumers should not buy products that are not marked, do smell bad or are suspicious due to their outfit and they should inform the nearest CTI Inspectorate about the sale of such products.