Dubai: Toy manufacturers and distributors in the UAE must comply with GCC-wide safety and health regulations starting January 1, 2011 or face fines.
The regulations set by the Gulf Standardisation Organisation specify the basic manufacturing criteria.
Toys should not have sharp edges, should not cause suffocation or drowning, be fire-resistant and comply with standard chemical levels.
Factories and importers that paste the GSO safety sticker on their toys must comply with the technical specifications, register with the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA) and have their products tested for safety.
Companies that carry the GSO label but violate its standards may face fines up to Dh35,000 or even imprisonment depending on the type of violation, according to ESMA Director-General Mohammad Badri.
ESMA and the Dubai municipality will be monitoring the toys in Dubai.
GSO certification fees cost about Dh1000, according to Abdullah Al Muaini, Director of Conformity Affairs at ESMA.
Starting in June, the GSO standards will be compulsory for all toy manufacturers and distributors across the GCC, Badri said.
There are still non-compliant toys, mainly made in China, in the market, he added.
To make it easier
"It should make it easier because there is one standard for the GCC and you don't have to look up regulations for each country. It should make trade easier," said Monica Kubik, Senior Show Manager for PlayWorld. "For parents and traders it should be a positive move." The cost of applying these standards may push prices by about five per cent as some companies are forced to pass on the costs to customers, said Rajeev Bhatia, Managing Director of Emsons, a toy distributor that deals with Hamleys among other stores and hypermarkets.
Costs will be minimal to companies that follow American or European standards because the GSO regulations are based on these international requirements with minor adjustments specific to the GCC, he said.
International standards
Companies that will be affected by the regulations are those who design and manufacture their own products or deal with manufacturers that do not comply with international standards, he noted.
By Numbers:
- Violation fines: Dhs. 20,000 to Dhs. 35,000
- GSO certification fees: Dhs. 1000
- Global market for toys: USD 122.2 billion by 2012
- UAE spend on toys: USD 30 per head
— Sources: Playworld Middle East and Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology.
