ASTM F834-84(1999)

Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Chests

SCOPE
1.1 This consumer safety specification covers the performance requirements and test methods to ensure the safety of toy chests.  
1.2 This consumer safety specification is intended to minimize the accidents and injuries to children resulting from normal use and reasonably foreseeable misuse or abuse of toy chests.  
1.3 For the purposes of this consumer safety specification, these requirements apply to products known as toy chests or toy boxes that are designed and marketed as storage containers for toys. The products subject to the requirements are those with a volume of 1.1 ft  (0.031 m ) or more.  
1.4 No toy chest or toy box produced after the approval date of this consumer safety specification shall, either by label or other means, indicate compliance with this specification unless it conforms to all requirements contained herein.  
1.5 The following precautionary caveat pertains only to the test method portion, Section 6, of this specification: This standard may involve hazardous materials, operations, and equipment. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety problems associated with its use. It is the responsibility of whoever uses this standard to consult and establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use .

General Information

• Status: Historical
• Publication Date: 09-Sep-1999
• ICS: 97.200.50 - Toys
• Technical Committee: F15 - Consumer Products
• Drafting Committee: F15.22 - Toy Safety

Relations

• Replaced By: ASTM F834-84(2008) - Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Chests (Withdrawn 2016)
• Effective Date: 15-Aug-2008

Standards Content (Sample)

NOTICE: This standard has either been superseded and replaced by a new version or withdrawn.
Contact ASTM International (www.astm.org) for the latest information
Designation: F 834 – 84 (Reapproved 1999)
Standard Consumer Safety Specification for
Toy Chests
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F 834; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
This consumer safety specification addresses toy chest accidents that have been identified by the
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
For the period from 1973 through 1981, the Commission documented 21 fatalities and one case of
permanent brain damage from falling toy chest lids. The pattern generally involves a toy chest lid
falling on a child while he or she is leaning into the chest. If the child’s neck is extended across the
upperedgeofthefrontofthechestwhenthelidfalls,thechildcanbecaughtandstrangled.Additional
accidents and less serious injuries have been identified, including finger entrapment and pinching
associated with toy chest hardware and attachments.
This consumer safety specification attempts to minimize the following: (1) possible entrapment and
strangulation hazards associated with sudden lid closing or dropping; (2) possible crushing, pinching,
and laceration hazards associated with folding mechanisms, hinges, and lid supports; and (3) possible
suffocation hazards due to lack of adequate ventilation.
This consumer safety specification is written within the current state-of-the-art technology. It is
intended to update this specification whenever substantive information becomes available which
necessitates additional requirements or justifies the revision of existing requirements.
1. Scope if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user
of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health
1.1 This consumer safety specification covers the perfor-
practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limita-
mance requirements and test methods to ensure the safety of
tions prior to use.
toy chests.
1.2 This consumer safety specification is intended to mini-
2. Performance Requirements
mize the accidents and injuries to children resulting from
2.1 Lid Support:
normal use and reasonably foreseeable misuse or abuse of toy
2.1.1 Toy chests with vertically opening hinged lids shall be
chests.
provided with lid-support mechanisms to prevent sudden
1.3 For the purposes of this consumer safety specification,
collapse or dropping of the lid.
these requirements apply to products known as toy chests or
2.1.2 The lid-support mechanism shall support the lid so
toy boxes that are designed and marketed as storage containers
that at no position in the arc of travel of the lid from within 2.0
for toys. The products subject to the requirements are those
3 3
in. (50.8 mm) of the fully closed position through an arc not to
with a volume of 1.1 ft (0.031 m ) or more.
exceed 60° from the fully closed position shall it drop more
1.4 No toy chest or toy box produced after the approval date
than 0.50 in. (12.7 mm) under the influence of its own weight,
of this consumer safety specification shall, either by label or
except in the last 2.0 in. (50.8 mm) of travel. The test shall be
other means, indicate compliance with this specification unless
conducted in accordance with 5.1.
it conforms to all requirements contained herein.
2.1.3 The toy chest lid shall comply with this requirement
1.5 The following precautionary caveat pertains only to the
before and after being subjected to 7000 opening and closing
test methods portion, Section 5, of this specification: This
cycles, as described in Section 5.
standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns,
2.1.4 The lid-support mechanism shall not require adjust-
ment by the consumer to ensure adequate lid support, nor shall
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F15 on
it require adjustment in order to comply with 2.1.2 after being
Consumer Products and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F15.22 on Toy
cycled according to 5.1.2.
Safety.
Current edition approved June 29, 1984. Published July 1984.
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F 834
2.1.5 Lid-support mechanisms shall be designed so as to of components, the resulting hazard if the lid support device is
prevent pinching, crushing, or laceration injuries to fingers. not installed, and a description of how to determine if the
Clearances or gaps produced by the action of such mechanisms support is working properly.
(betweencomponentsofthemechanismorbetweenthemecha-
nism and the toy chest lid) shall be constructed so that if the
5. Test Methods
gap admits a 0.19-in. (4.8-mm) diameter rod it will also admit
5.1 Lid Support Mechanisms:
a 0.50 in. (12.7 mm) diameter rod at all positions of the arc of
5.1.1 Assemble the toy chest in accordance with manufac-
travel of the lid. This requirement does not apply to lid-support
turer’s instructions.
mechanisms installed on the inside of the toy chest which are
5.1.2 Lift the lid to any position in its arc of travel to a
atleast12in.(305mm)fromthefrontandsideedgesofthetoy
distance greater than 2.0 in. (50.8 mm) but not to cause the lid
chest or its lid.
to move through an arc of more than 60° from the l
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