ASTM_F_834_-_84_2008.pdf

Designation:F83484(Reapproved 2008)Standard Consumer Safety Specification forToy Chests1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F834;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of originaladoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.Anumber in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.INTRODUCTIONThis consumer safety specification addresses toy chest accidents that have been identified by theU.S.Consumer Product Safety Commission(CPSC).For the period from 1973 through 1981,the Commission documented 21 fatalities and one case ofpermanent brain damage from falling toy chest lids.The pattern generally involves a toy chest lidfalling on a child while he or she is leaning into the chest.If the childs neck is extended across theupper edge of the front of the chest when the lid falls,the child can be caught and strangled.Additionalaccidents and less serious injuries have been identified,including finger entrapment and pinchingassociated with toy chest hardware and attachments.This consumer safety specification attempts to minimize the following:(1)possible entrapment andstrangulation 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)possiblesuffocation hazards due to lack of adequate ventilation.This consumer safety specification is written within the current state-of-the-art technology.It isintended to update this specification whenever substantive information becomes available whichnecessitates additional requirements or justifies the revision of existing requirements.1.Scope1.1 This consumer safety specification covers the perfor-mance requirements and test methods to ensure the safety oftoy chests.1.2 This consumer safety specification is intended to mini-mize the accidents and injuries to children resulting fromnormal use and reasonably foreseeable misuse or abuse of toychests.1.3 For the purposes of this consumer safety specification,these requirements apply to products known as toy chests ortoy boxes that are designed and marketed as storage containersfor toys.The products subject to the requirements are thosewith a volume of 1.1 ft3(0.031 m3)or more.1.4 No toy chest or toy box produced after the approval dateof this consumer safety specification shall,either by label orother means,indicate compliance with this specification unlessit conforms to all requirements contained herein.1.5 The following precautionary caveat pertains only to thetest methods portion,Section 5,of this specification:Thisstandard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is the responsibility of the userof this standard to establish appropriate safety and healthpractices and determine the applicability of regulatory limita-tions prior to use.2.Performance Requirements2.1 Lid Support:2.1.1 Toy chests with vertically opening hinged lids shall beprovided with lid-support mechanisms to prevent suddencollapse or dropping of the lid.2.1.2 The lid-support mechanism shall support the lid sothat at no position in the arc of travel of the lid from within 2.0in.(50.8 mm)of the fully closed position through an arc not toexceed 60 from the fully closed position shall it drop morethan 0.50 in.(12.7 mm)under the influence of its own weight,except in the last 2.0 in.(50.8 mm)of travel.The test shall beconducted in accordance with 5.1.2.1.3 The toy chest lid shall comply with this requirementbefore and after being subjected to 7000 opening and closingcycles,as described in Section 5.2.1.4 The lid-support mechanism shall not require adjust-ment by the consumer to ensure adequate lid support,nor shallit require adjustment in order to comply with 2.1.2 after beingcycled according to 5.1.2.1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F15 onConsumer Products and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F15.22 on ToySafety.Current edition approved Aug.15,2008.Published October 2008.Originallyapproved in 1984.Last previous edition approved in 1999 as F834 84(1999).DOI:10.1520/F0834-84R08.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 2.1.5 Lid-support mechanisms shall be designed so as toprevent pinching,crushing,or laceration injuries to fingers.Clearances or gaps produced by the action of such mechanisms(between components of the mechanism or between the mecha-nism and the toy chest lid)shall be constructed so that if thegap admits a 0.19-in.(4.8-mm)diameter rod it will also admita 0.50 in.(12.7 mm)diameter rod at all positions of the arc oftravel of the lid.This requirement does not apply to lid-supportmechanisms installed on the inside of the toy chest which areat least 12 in.(305 mm)from the front and side edges of the toychest or its lid.2.2 Hinge-Line Cl