To the editor:

While many in the town were focused on the recent inexcusable beating of a Barrington student by his peers, what caught my eye was the police report of a woman who claimed the loss of $1,400 gold jewelry that she said her three-year-old son had worn to a Barrington daycare.

Putting aside any logic that a parent would adorn a toddler heading for play with valuable gold jewelry, my questions were 1.) Was this woman reported to DCYF, and 2.) Was she charged with endangering a child?

Why would I think such things?  

For starters, I was the Director of Quality Assurance and Consumer Safety for Eden Toys, Inc., a manufacturer of high-end soft infant toys including Paddington Bear, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Madeline. Any toy designed for children from birth to three years is considered an infant toy. Safety regulations classify that age group as a vulnerable population.

I represented Eden with revising a version of ASTM F-963, the US Toy Safety Standard. This safety standard is periodically reviewed and revised as the toy industry is constantly introducing new toys to the market. The industry is required to stay current and responsive to manufacturing innovations and new designs, meaning risk is identified and eliminated or mitigated as much as possible.

I also represented the toy industry on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) committees for harmonizing US crib toys, pacifiers, and plastic bags safety requirements with worldwide safety requirements.

In short, toy safety regulations prohibit the length of “strings” longer than 6 inches because of strangulation hazards. Crib mobiles are scrutinized for meeting this regulation. It would not be possible to wrap a six-inch string around a child’s neck. Anything longer is considered a risk for strangulation. A necklace, gold or not, would be a danger to a small child.  

Also prohibited are “small parts,” which is any part that can fit into a standardized cylinder designed to test for this condition. These $10 testers are available online by searching for either a small parts or small objects tester.

Small parts are identified by visually inspecting a toy part, such as a puzzle piece, or testing to see if the toy can easily be broken. The breakage is determined by exerting a specified twist or pull force against various parts of the toys. Anything broken off which fits into the small parts cylinder is deemed unsafe.

The CPSC recognizes ASTM F2923 'Standard Specification for Consumer Product Safety for Children's Jewelry' as an industry best practice. Necklaces must withstand a break force of 15-pounds or more.  

Rhode Island has stringent requirements for children daycares. One of its requirements for Infant Equipment includes “The program has a choke prevention gauge which is used to determine if an object is large enough so as not to be swallowed by a child.”  

If the daycare was negligent with ensuring the child’s safety when it saw him wearing a necklace or ring, it risks losing its license.

A word to the wise.  

Marcia M. Weeden

Barrington