What’s are the Safety Requirements For Babywear Garments

25.2.17

Safety Requirements

When designing Children’s dress consideration must be given to a range of factors, for example:

End use

Age Range

Frequency of aftercare processes

No hand sewn attachments inc. embroidery design design , accepted on any items for under 36mths. Device lock stitching only.

Risk assessment must form part of the design process to eliminate potential health and Safety Requirements for hazards, e.g. tripping, choking, suffocation, entrapment, restricted blood circulation to name but a few.

Clothing must conform to Regulation. Mechanical Safety Requirements of Clothing.

Component parts

Some of the component parts that could be used in Children’s dress are detailed below. If a component being used is not included in this listing, contact must be made with either the Buying Department or Quality Control department for clarification before production commences.

Press fasteners/poppers/stud buttons & rivet

The fastener must be selected on the basis of compatibility with the cloth style and thickness. Prong fasteners should be used on knitted cloth with post fasteners preferred on woven cloth .
Assessment must be carried out by the fastener supplier on every style to advise on correct fastener selection for prong length and correct device setting. Recommended suppliers would be YKK, Stocko, Prym and Rudholm. .
Metal fasteners & eyelets must be non – ferrous material i.e does not contain nickel. The use of mild steel which will rust is not permitted.
Lacquered or enameled finishes must satisfy
Fasteners/Ring fasteners (snaps) must not be applied across seams or any other area of thickness variation. They must not be damaged in any way during application resulting in protruding prongs or sharp edges. Snap data sheet must be submitted for every style contracted that use such snaps. .
Lightweight cloth may require reinforcement to provide sufficient strength to withstand popper / stud application and wear & must pass through a min of two layers of cloth .
Shank Buttons on waistband closures on lightweight cloth such as Poly Cottons, Linens etc. should have an interfacing in the waistband to give stability and ensure a secure and rigid attachment.
Spare buttons in bags are not to be attached to any Children’s garment.

Fastener approval procedure

A completed data sheet detailing the proposed fastener type and device setting from the fastener supplier must be submitted.
Sealer samples must have correct fasteners attached to the correct device settings.
A test report for destructive testing of poppers must be done. Sealers will not be approved unless the above two tests have been applied. It is the supplier’s responsibility to comply with above.
Fasteners are only to be used which come from one of the list of Auto nominated suppliers.

Attachment of fasteners

A press fastener attachment must comply with the fastener supplier’s instructions. Detailed record must be maintained throughout production.

The fastener supplier must specify device ry used.

Attachment must be secure through at least two plies of cloth and withstand a pulling force of 90 Newtons.

Prong Fasteners must always be used on knitted cloth to avoid laddering of the cloth . Even using prong fasteners on some light, open knitted cloth , laddering might occur and require stabilizing with a fully fused interlining. Post fasteners must not be used on knitted cloth . With both types of fastener it is vital that the length of the post or prong be matched accurately to the compressed composite thickness of the area of the product to which it is being applied. The compressed cloth thickness is measured using a torque micrometer calibrated to operate at a specific torque value. The depth of device clenching must be set to match these dimensions by a trained mechanic. The initial compressed cloth thickness measurement will be assessed and the correct device pinch setting will be recommended by the fastener manufacturer and documented.

This device setting must be monitored throughout the application process to ensure setting remains constant.

Quality Control of Fasteners

Daily checks of both the device ry and garment must be made throughout production.
Cloth must be firmly clamped making it impossible to insert a fingernail between the cloth and the fastener. It should be impossible to rotate or move the cloth around the fastener.
The back of all prong components must be flat and not rounded as this indicates insufficient clenching pressure.
Components must not be chipped or damaged & must withstand washing and drying conditions. .
Inspection of items must include opening and closing the poppers at least once, and for items with enclosed feet or socks the garment must be turned inside out to ensure no sharp or loose pieces are inside, including looped or unclipped threads.

Zip Fasteners

For Safety Requirements reasons zips should be obtained from one of the list of Auto nominated suppliers. You must advise the Buyer of the zip manufacturer you intend to use for every style. This should be discussed at the product selection stage. Full list of nominated suppliers are listed in the QC Manual.
Metal zips must conform to the EU Anti-Nickel Directive 94/27. Zips should also be of brass base to avoid any corrosion occurring in washing process. However, metal zips are not permitted on Nursery or Babywear garment .
At the fit stage you must advise the buyer what make and type of zip you intend to use in each product. .
Cut coil zips are not permitted.
Claw top stops are not permitted. One piece plastic moulded top cob stops only accepted. Metal zips (used only on older age garment ) must have a metal ‘D’ stop with smooth edges.
Open-ended zips must have an ‘E’ top cob stop that prevents the slider from being separated from the zip & cobs must be of one solid piece- no split cobs. Cobs must be free from sharp or rough edges. (see separate detail advice sheet).
Zip fly fastenings for the younger age ranges must always have a protective placket. Fly must have bar tack at base & stress points. No zip fly for Nursery or Babywear.
All zips at neck in garment up to & inc. 4 yrs must start 1cm down from the neckline. All MUST have Dtm plastic top cob stops- without any rough or sharp edges / finish.

Buttons

Buttons must conform to BS4162 for strength, abrasion, cleaning performance and BSEN71 for toxicity levels. Must be dye fast.
Application must be by lockstitch button sew using contrast colour thread in the bobbin and be through a minimum of 2 layers of cloth . Chain stitch not permitted.
Buttons must not be of a two-part construction or made of a brittle material such as Mother of Pearl or Wood for Children’s dress . .
Positioning of spare buttons (if required) must be on a non generic tab placed beside the care label at the side seam.
Spare buttons in bags are not permitted.
Buttons should not bear any resemblance to food.
Buttons should not have any sharp edges or points.
Buttons/Shank Buttons on waistband closures on lightweight cloth such as Poly Cottons, Linens etc. should have an interfacing in the waistband to give stability and ensure a secure and rigid attachment.

Velcro

Velcro closures must not be used at the hood or neck area of any Nursery or Babywear garment , up to and including 3-4yrs.
Velcro used in any other areas must have the corners rounded – sharp corners are not to remain.
Velcro used as a closure on any bib must be of a very soft nature (Soft Tough) with no harsh loops or felting. It should have minimal felt and hook depth and edges concealed within garment.
Velcro used on pkt flaps should have the hook section of Velcro on the bag of the pkt at outside with the felt section on the pkt flap & all corners must be rounded.

Motifs/Badges/Appliqué and Embroidery design design

Embroidery design design & Appliqué

All floating threads and thread ends must be removed to ensure they cannot catch on fingers or toes (Vilene Embroidery design design backing ref. PE9924 should be used to conceal at back).
All backing material must be removed.
All Emb. on Nursery and Babywear up to 4yrs MUST be covered at back with Vilene. Specially produced for this purpose.
Appliqué must be checked so all cloth is securely held in place by the stitching.
Embroidery design design in the foot area of Babywear must be lined to enclose threads.
Some attachments where reinforced on inside of garment with cloth patch, may require PE9924 placed over same to enclose and give a flat neat /clean finish. This is especially required on Nursery and Babywear garment .

Motifs & Badges

If attaching by fusing, the application must be checked to ensure it is secure and that no residue remains.
Motifs / Labels should not be attached by adhesive only, for age 4 yrs and under. They should also withstand repeated laundering – 5 washes.

Decorative Trims

Bows must not have ribbon tails exceeding 5cm in length and ribbon ends must not ravel. Laser/Sonic cut ends only accepted.
Pom Poms must not be used for ages 4 yrs and under. Where used in ages over 4 yrs they should follow the make- up required as listed in the QC supplier manual.
Decorative trims/Bows must be securely attached with a lockstitch device . Floaters at back of beading to be a max. of 1cm long and secured. Jewel stones to be individually attached no runner format attachment.
Decorative cords must not exceed max. 13cms in length. EU Cord Safety Regulations apply.
Cord ends must be prevented from raveling by hemming (ensuring flat finish) or soft shoelace (aglet) finish. The later must withstand 100 Newton pulling force.
Fake fur trim must not shed. (Testing required- ref. to standards). Fake Fur swing tkt to be attached- re QC manual for details.
Functional/Decorative cords must not be used in neck area on ages 9 yrs and under and when used at neck on 10 yrs upward must not be made of Bungy cord and should not exceed a max of 65 mm at full stretch with ends sealed. EU Cord Safety Regulations apply.
Studs and rivets MUST be securely attached and comply with all safety regulations pertaining to Children’s Clothing.
All single sequins must be secured by 3 stitches. Runner row of sequins secured by min of 2 stitched either side.
Beading/Sequins should not be in a looped format or have floaters longer than 1cm (no exceptions).
Drawstrings, decorative cords or functional cords including any toggle on the lower edges of garment where situated below the crotch should be inside the garment. If they are external they must lie flat against the garment when the garment is tightened or fastened. (EU Cord Safety Regulations apply.)
Sashes or tie belts at waist must not hang below the hemline when in fully opened state. Max length 34cm and width 3cm. EU Cord Safety Requirements Regulations apply.

Elastic

Measurements must be carefully monitored against the size spec and conform to its requirements.

Belts & Buckles

‘D’ ring attachments must comply with EN71 and be constructed as a solid piece. (No split ‘D’ Rings).

Wshed garment

All trims, buttons, badges etc. must be attached after washing process (unless otherwise required)

Pockets must be checked for the removal of stones.

Design Aspects

Risk assessment to be carried out on garment design. Consideration to size range and age related abilities of the wearer should be taken into account.
Garment should be designed so that the filling material is inaccessible and secure.
All seams which enclose filling materials must be fit for the purpose.
Slip resistance must be considered for indoor clothing with integral feet. eg. Walk n’ Sleepers, Slipper Socks etc…
Sleepwear garment for under 36 months should NOT have hood.
Restriction to hearing & vision must be taken into consideration when designing hooded garment .
Risk assessment should be performed for the possibility of entrapment- detachable hoods could be considered.
Hood & Cord Regulations –must be considered when designing garment with hoods.
When designing garment with elastic in cuff or feet area – if too strong around hand or foot area, restriction in blood flow could occur- reference BS 7231.
Functional slide fastener fly openings should not be used for Boys trousers up to and including 4 years. When used for 5 years and above an inner protective flap/guard to be incorporated.
Socks must be clean on inside without any threads exceeding 3mm (0.3cm) and no floaters or loops causing entrapment.

Natural Feathers

A certificate of irradiation must be supplied with all dress which contain Marabou or any Natural Feathers to demonstrate that the feathers have been through a sterilization process.

Note:- dress where trims are made of Real Leather, Natural Feather, or Mother of Pearl must carry the advice ‘Contains non textile parts of animal origin’ either on the care label or packaging.

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