When it comes to UK safety regulations in children's clothing it can be a bit of a minefield! There's no centralised place where you can go to find out all the correct information and this can be incredibly frustrating - both as a adult purchasing handmade kids clothes, and as a UK small business wanting to make and sell handmade garments for children 14 years and under.
Well, have no fear, because after a lot of extensive reading and research, I have compiled all the necessary rules and regulations right here in this handy blog post!
I do, however, need to start by making a very clear disclaimer... this article is NOT LEGAL ADVICE! It is simply a summary of everything that I have read with regards to UK safety laws and regulations that I have gathered from numerous sources online. For more specific information and clarification, I would always advice you to contact your own Trading Standards Office to ensure that your own small business complies with the required regulations - this is your own responsibility as a business owner!
Before we start, it's important to firstly check that the garments you wish to make and sell meet all the standards set out in:
1. The general product safety regulations 2005 - all products intended for or likely to be used by consumers under normal or reasonably foreseeable conditions are safe.
2. BS EN 14682:2014 - cords and drawstrings on children's clothing
3. PD CEN/TR 16792:2014 - safety for children's clothing
These standards are a great place to start when entering the world of handmade children's clothes and I would highly recommend you read them.
So, lets dive right in and start with how the human body is split into 4 distinct areas that the regulations are then applied to...
A = Head and Neck
B = Waist
C = Lower Hem
D = Back
Section A - Head and Neck Area:
This section is split into two age categories: 0-7 years and 7-14 years.
0-7 years:
There should be NO drawstrings/cords/ties in this area
Adjustable tabs ARE allowed but these should have a maximum length of 7.5cm
Shoulder straps MUST NOT be tied on top of the shoulder - they must be attached to the front and back of the bodice.
Decorative straps (i.e. fake bows) MUST NOT have free ends longer than 7.5cm with a fixed bow loop circumference no bigger than 7.5cm
Halter necks should have NO free ends (i.e. they should not be tied behind the head)
7-14 years:
Any drawstrings MUST HAVE NO free ends - instead, they should have adjustable loops
Any cords and tabs used to fasten or adjust the size MUST NOT be longer than 7.5cm
Any free ends on shoulder straps MUST NOT be longer than 14cm (from the tied point when the bow loops are no bigger than 7.5cm in circumference.
Let's now move further down the body to section B and tackle the regulations regarding the waist area. These regulations apply to the full age group of 0-14 years (unless otherwise stated).
Section B - Waist Area:
Any free ends of drawstrings MUST NOT be longer than 14cm when the garment is opened to it's largest size.
Any free ends of drawstrings MUST NOT be longer than 28cm when the garment is closed to it's intended size.
Belts and sashes to be tied at the back SHOULD NOT be longer than 36cm when untied. Those tied at the front SHOULD NOT be longer than 36cm from the point where they are tied.
For 0-7yrs, these belts and sashes SHOULD NOT hang below the hem when untied.
If we now move to Section D, the back area, these regulations also apply to the full age group of 0-14 year.
Section D - Back Area:
All drawstrings, cords and ties (adjustable or decorative) that emerge from the back of the garment (or to be tied at the back) ARE NOT ALLOWED.
Tied belts and sashes on the waist ARE allowed - see Section B above.
Finally, we move to Section C - the lower hem (below the crotch) and again, these regulations apply to the full age group of 0-14 years.
Section C - Lower Hem Area:
All drawstrings, cords and ties (adjustable or decorative) situated below the crotch (e.g. long jackets) SHOULD NOT hang below the lower edge.
Any drawstring, cord or tie (adjustable or decorative) finishing at the ankle SHOULD BE totally inside the garment.
Stirrups ARE allowed.
Hopefully you'll have noticed that the above 4 areas of the body have not included the arms! I'm not sure why that is but they do have they're own regulations regarding sleeves. So lets take a look at them (again, these apply to the full age group of 0-14 years - unless otherwise stated)
Sleeves:
Any drawstrings, cords or ties (adjustable or decorative) on LONG SLEEVES SHOULD NOT hang below the lower edge when fastened.
All drawstrings, cords and ties (adjustable or decorative) on SHORT SLEEVES (finishing above the elbow) SHOULD NOT be longer than 7.5cm (0-7yrs) or 14cm (7-14yrs) when opened to it's largest size.
Disclaimer - it is not the responsibility of the pattern designer/provider to ensure that their sewing patterns comply with safety laws. They are not providing anything illegal and there is no reason why you can't use these patterns for personal use or for some of the exemptions that are mentioned below. The problems arise when you use them to make and sell to consumers. There is also no reason why you can't purchase these patterns and then adapt them so that they do comply with the necessary laws. It is also important to note that safety laws and regulations differ slightly from country to country (although a lot does remain the same), but if you are purchasing a pattern from the United States, for example, you would need to check that all elements comply with UK laws.
Now, when it comes to children's clothes there are a few garments that are exempt from the above regulations. These are:
shoes
gloves
hats
scarves
neckties
belts
braces
religious clothing
celebratory clothing
specialist sportswear
theatrical costumes for performances
aprons
All of the above regulations have been put into place by law due to serious accidents that have happened to children in the past. I have seen many a small business advertise handmade clothing that does not comply with safety laws, and ultimately, this is putting the safety or our children at risk. The data has shown that some incidents has resulted in fatality, so we really should be taking safety in children's clothes very seriously.
Some national accident statistics that I read have shown that there are 2 main types of serious accidents involving cords and drawstrings in children's clothing:
For younger children - entrapment of hood cords in playground equipment (e.g. slides) which have caused fatality.
For older children - entrapment of cords and strings from the waist and lower hems in moving vehicles (e.g. bus doors and bicycles) causing serious injuries or fatality from being dragged along or run over by the moving vehicle.
Further hazards that you should consider when making handmade children's clothes should be any small parts that have been attached to the garment. These must be secure and MUST NOT detach with a force of approximately 7Kg. This is to avoid them becoming a choking hazard.
Small parts include (this is not an exclusive list):
buttons
beads
bows
tassels
pom poms
sequins
diamantes
fasteners
labels
Ears on hoods:
Now, I know these types of outfits are incredibly cute - we've all seen them, hoods with protruding ears, especially bunny ears during Easter. But there are certain rules and regulations we need to keep to to ensure what we are making is safe for all children.
There are 4 main regulations when adding ears to hoods. Ears can't be:
Protruding more than 7.5cm
Long enough to individually tie in a knot
Long enough to tie the 2 ears together
Embellished with additional features
I hope this has been an interesting and informative read and that it has furthered your knowledge of the UK safety regulations with regards to children's clothes. For any additional questions and queries I will stress again that it is best practice to seek advice from your local Trading Standards Office if you are unsure if a garment you are making complies. Please remember that this blog is just a compilation of information I have sourced online in my quest to further my own knowledge as a small business owner. The main aim of this article was to summarize all my findings in one place to make it easier for other small businesses to find.
Please feel free to leave your comments and if there is anything I've missed please do let me know so that I can research and read this myself.
In the meantime, if you're looking to do some further reading yourself I would highly recommend the following links...
For more information on fabric content, flammability testing, and garment labelling - I will be writing an additional blog so keep your eyes peeled!
Many thanks for reading! Lizi x
Komentar