TIA to Host Two Toy Safety Training Sessions for Chinese
Manufacturers; Members Encouraged to Promote Participation by Local
Contacts
July 17, 2012 | In early August, the Toy Industry
Association (TIA) will host two toy safety training sessions for the
managers and staff of local Chinese manufacturers producing toys and
children’s products for the U.S. marketplace. Taking place
on August 1, 2012 in Dongguan and on August 3, 2012 in Shenzhen, China,
the sessions emphasize TIA’s commitment to safety awareness,
education and compliance throughout the supply chain.
Interested participants may request additional registration details
by sending a message to safety@toyassociation.org.
There is no fee to participate.
Each session will focus on key toy safety information and U.S.
compliance requirements, including:
- U.S. toy safety standards and regulations, including recent
legislative changes and their impact on Chinese manufacturers and
suppliers;
- The role of the CPSC as the lead U.S. government body responsible
for monitoring and enforcing toy safety in the U.S.;
- New toy safety testing and certification requirements (e.g.: new
requirements for lead and heavy metals) and import surveillance
initiatives in the U.S.;
- Necessary elements of a factory quality program;
- Emerging issues and hazards and how they are being addressed;
and
- Ensuring material safety and reporting.
TIA’s Al Kaufman, SVP of Technical Affairs, and Rebecca Mond,
Director of Federal Government Affairs, will present a practical
understanding of U.S. toy safety requirements.
Joining TIA staff as presenters will be a panel of U.S. and Chinese
experts including Neal Cohen, Small Business Ombudsman, Office of
Education and Outreach at the U.S. CPSC; Liang Mei of the China Toy
& Juvenile Products Association; and Vincent Tam, Director of
Systems and Compliance at Jetta Company Limited. The speakers will
be joined by Marty Cahill, VP of Quality Assurance and Compliance for
Hasbro (in Shenzhen only) and Wonder Wong, QA Engineering Director for
Hasbro (in Dongguan only).
During an eleven-year span from 1996 to 2007, the annual safety
conferences TIA hosted in China were attended by more than 3,000 local
employees representing approximately 1,500 Chinese factories producing
toys for the U.S. market. More recently, TIA helped facilitate
two educational sessions for local factories in
Hong Kong and Dongguan, China, in November 2011.
“It has been a longstanding priority of TIA’s to educate
Chinese factories on U.S. standards, testing and conformance
requirements,” said Joan Lawrence, TIA vice president of standards
and government affairs. “These new sessions scheduled for
early August will help to assure that everyone involved in the toy
supply chain is working with the most up-to-date information.”
The training sessions are being organized by TIA with support from
the State Administration for Quality Supervision Inspection and
Quarantine of PRC (AQSIQ) and the China Toy Industrial Association
(CTJPA), and in cooperation with the U.S. CPSC, Guangdong Dongguan and
Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of PRC, the
Shenzhen Toys Industry Association (SZTIA) and the Shenzhen
Import-Export Quarantine Association (SZIQA).
For registration information for the upcoming Dongguan and/or
Shenzhen seminars, please contact safety@toyassociation.org.
|
