Child Safety for Apparel Production

PrePared By-MD.ASHRAF ALI,QC INSPECTOR MGB METRO GROUP BUYING HK LTD>

PrePared By-MD.ASHRAF ALI,QC INSPECTORMGB METRO GROUP BUYING HK LTD>

Garment Design, Materials and Construction Considerations For Babys & ChildrenAccording ToBS 7907: 2007 - Code of practice for the Design and Manufacture ofChildren's Clothing to Promote Mechanical SafetyQuality and Safety Law & Standards The Consumer Protection Act 1987 General Product (Safety) Regulations 2005 The Childrens Clothing (Hood Cords) Regulations 1976 BS EN 14682:2007 Safety of children's clothing - Cords and drawstrings The Nightwear (Safety) Regulations 1985 British standard BS EN 14878:2007 Textiles - Burning behaviour of children's nightwear BS 7907:2007 - Code of practice for the design and manufacture of children's clothing to promote mechanical safety The Dangerous Substances and Preparations (Nickel) (Safety) Regulations 2005 REACH Registration Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction of ChemicalsGarment design, materials and construction considerationsBS 7907:2007 Mechanical Safety of Children's ClothingBS 7907:2007 is a "Code of Practice" which, although not a legal requirement, should be considered as defining practices necessary to achieve acceptable levels of safety. It applies to all clothing for children up to age 14 years, providing information on best practice on design, fabric and component selection, and assembly techniques. The information is essential for all in the supply chain, from designer to manufacturer and for the retailer.

BackgroundOriginally developed and published in 1997, it was revised for 2007 to align with BS EN 14682.

Scope and ApplicationThe code of practice includes guidance on Garment sizing and design, Selection of fabrics, filling materials and sewing threads, Selection of attached components and the security of attachment, Manufacturing processes and precautions, and Packaging. It also includes guidance on, and should be used to inform the process of risk assessment of childrens clothing.

BS 7907: 2007 - Code of practice for the design and manufacture ofchildren's clothing to promote mechanical safetyThis code of practice gives recommendations for the design and manufacture of children's clothing (up to the age of 14 years) to promote mechanical safety.The code considers the possible hazards and risks that could be caused by fabrics, components, trims and manufacturing processes.The risks have been identified through accident statistics and fall into ten main injury types:

1. Ischemic injuries loose or untrimmed threads get wrapped around fingers or toes causing a tourniquet effect restricting blood circulation2. Entrapment of the penis in a zip3. Injuries from sharp objects4. Choking and aspiration5. Swallowing6. Strangulation, entrapment and tripping7. Restriction of vision and hearing8. Suffocation9. Overheating10. Slipping, tripping and fallingGarment design, materials and construction considerationsFabric considerations Pile fabrics should be carefully considered in terms of pile length, pile retention, position in the garment and age of the wearer, particularly for garments for children under 12 months.

Jacquard fabric with float stitches of longer than 10mm should not be used in the hand or foot area of garments for children under 12 months.

Garment design, materials and construction considerationsSewing thread Do not use monofilament thread. Thread used to sew on components should not break at unduly low loads. No loose threads or uncut floats longer than 1cm in the hand and foot area of garments up to 1 year.Garment design, materials and construction considerations

Garment design, materials and construction considerationsAttached component considerations Lockstitch 301 should be used to attach all stitched components. Hand stitch or chain stitch are not recommended for any garments for children under 36 months. When they are used they must be carefully controlled. The recommended removal force for attached components is either 50N for components under 6mm, or 70N for those over 6mm.Garment design, materials and construction considerationsButtons Shouldnt have sharp edges and should pass BS4162:1983 mechanical test. Care should be taken if multi component buttons are used as these can disassemble to produce potentially hazardous small parts. Buttons should not bear any resemblance to food. Spare buttons should not pose any additional risk.Garment design, materials and construction considerationsSequins, beads and other similar components Must be attached by lockstitch on garments for children under 36 months. (Not by hand or chain stitch machine) A minimum of three stitches should be used to hold each sequin flat. When hand stitching must be used stitching should be locked off after every 10th stitch.Garment design, materials and construction considerationsPom poms and tassels Not to be used on garments for children under 3 years.

Garment design, materials and construction considerationsPress fasteners and similarly applied components Post type fasteners should not be used on knitted fabrics - prong type are required

Garment design, materials and construction considerations Fasteners should not be applied over seams or uneven fabric thicknesses. Correct size of fasteners must be used to correspond with the compressed fabric thickness. Use fabric reinforcement if necessary. Press fastener data sheets should be obtained and used at pre-production and production stageGarment design, materials and construction considerationsMagnets Should not be used on children's garments.Elastication Should be appropriate without introducing a risk to the wearer. Relaxed and extended measurements are essential for the manufacturer. Can cause restriction in blood flow if too tight.Garment design, materials and construction considerationsZips Zips that come into close contact with the skin should be plastic. Top stops and teeth should be free from sharp edges. Zip guards are recommended particularly around the face and neck. Preferable that functional zips are not used on boys garments under 5 years. All boys garments with a zip fly should have a zip guard of 2cm wide. Also plastic zips are preferred.Garment design, materials and construction considerationsCords, strings, ribbons and bows Should conform to BS EN 14682:2007 Safety of children's clothing - Cords and drawstringsHoods Sleepwear for babies under 12 months should not have hoods because of overheating. Garments for babies under 12 months should not have hoods made of impermeable material because of the risk of suffocation. Consider the restriction in vision that the hood may cause in garments for older children. All garments should also comply with BS EN 14682:2007 Safety of children's clothing - Cords and drawstrings. Garment design, materials and construction considerationsEmbroidery and appliqu Embroidery or appliqu stitching can rub the skin during wear; consider using fusible interlining on the inside of the garment.

Stitch lengths on embroideries should not be long enough to form loops. No floats on the front or back in excess of 10mm long.

Stone washing Stone washing is not recommended for garments for children under 36 months. If used on garments for older children physical measures should be taken to remove any stones and residue.

Garment design, materials and construction considerationsPackaging Considerations Pins and staples should not be used. Care should be taken to ensure that packaging does not include small plastic clips that could be a choking hazard to children under 36 months.

Plastic bags Bags should be printed with a safety warning.PLASTIC BAGS CAN BE DANGEROUSTO AVOID DANGER OF SUFFOCATION KEEP THIS BAG AWAY FROM BABIES ANDCHILDREN Polythene bags less than 0.038mm thick should be perforated with 6mm holes to reduce the risk of suffocation.

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