Cotecna Opens Toy Testing Laboratory in Hong Kong

GENEVA, January 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cotecna Inspection, one of the world's leading trade testing, inspection, and certification companies, has opened a new laboratory in Shatin, Hong Kong specialized in the testing of toys.

The Cotecna Hong Kong laboratory is fully certified and testing is carried out under the European Standard EN 71 that specifies safety requirements for toys. EN71 compliance is legally required for all toys sold in the European Union. Our lab is ISO 17025 accredited and received UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accreditation on December 9, 2010. UKAS accreditation demonstrates the competence, impartiality and performance capability of Cotecna Hong Kong to consumers, suppliers and purchasers in the testing services carried out in the Hong Kong laboratory.

Tests include

i) Physical and mechanical tests to investigate the reaction of toys under abuse such as drop test, tension test, torque test, small part test and compression test.

ii) Flammability tests to be able to determine if the toys catch fire easily, within what time frame and how: by a simple spark or a stream of fire.

iii) Chemical tests to detect prohibited substances in materials used in toys, such as paints containing heavy metals that pose a health hazard. This also includes substances that are considered a threat to the environment once the toy is discarded at the end of its play life.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has recently communicated that reported injuries from toys, which is close to 200,000 a year, is on the increase. At the same time, steps taken by toy manufacturers and retailers to improve the safety of toys have resulted in the decrease of recalls over the past years. Regular risks caused by defective toys include: choking on loose parts, lead paint and toxic chemicals exposure, the instability of cots that may collapse, eye injury or blindness from projectile toys, cuts, lacerations or amputation of fingers and toes from strings and wires, burns or electric shocks caused by defective batteries, hearing loss or deafness from toys exceeding safe noise levels.

Cotecna offers a complete range of Consumer Goods services including product inspection, process assessment and technical assistance. Our network of experts ensures that the product conforms to clients' specifications, relevant requirements and is safe for use. We specialize in inspections on: textiles and garments, furniture, household items, kitchenware, hardware, DIY, electrical appliances, sporting goods, toys & juvenile, premiums and sundries. Cotecna has operations in 12 countries in Asia and offers a full range of inspection, factory & social audit, and testing services. This new laboratory in Hong Kong increases Cotecna's testing capacity in the area of consumer goods.

Visit Cotecna at the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair

10 - 13 January 2011

Hong Kong Convention Exhibition Centre, Wanchai District, Hong Kong Island

Booth Ndegrees 3D - C39

Note to editors:

1. About Cotecna

Founded in Switzerland in 1974, the Cotecna group offers a wide range of trade facilitation services, trade security services and quality certification standards. Cotecna is a pioneer in areas such as risk management, destination inspection and scanner integration projects and also offers Customs modernization programmes, Customs valuation assistance, trade security solutions and commercial inspections.

Cotecna conducts verification and certification activities across a range of sectors for importers and exporters worldwide. Areas of particular expertise include: agricultural products (grains, pulses, oilseeds and feedstuffs to liquid cargoes, sugar, fibers, fruits, coffee, fertilizers...), metals and minerals, chemical and petroleum products, marine surveys, industrial equipment surveys, vehicle inspections and consumer goods. Accredited laboratories and testing facilities ensure the delivery of high-quality, verifiable results.

For a full description of our services, please visit http://www.cotecna.com. The Cotecna Group has a combined workforce of about 4,000 employees and agents in close to 100 offices.

    
    Useful links:

    United Kingdom Accreditation Service: http://www.ukas.com
    European Committee for Standardization: http://www.cen.eu
    ISO/IEC: 17025:2005: http://www.iso.org

    Contacts:

    Hong Kong
    Mr. Olivier Garnier
    Sales & Marketing Manager
    Suite 125, Ocean Center, Harbour City
    5 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
    Tel: +852-2111-3513
    Fax: +852-2111-0171
    E-mail: ConsumerGoods@cotecna.com

    Cotecna Press
    Alison Bourgeois
    Vice President Corporate Communications
    Geneva
    +41-22-849-78-23
    press@cotecna.ch