bmta.co.uk
STANDARDS AS AN AID
TO CHILD SAFETY
Stephen Wilkins
Managing Director
Davies Development and Testing Ltd
When you are considering child resistant packaging,
which has been with us since the mid 1970s, we must not
regard it as child proof.
Child resistant packaging is packaging that is difficult for
children younger than 52 months to open, but not difficult
for adults up to 70 years old to use properly.
There are three standards; British, European and International
which, to be child resistant, must comply. These standards
work by testing the packs with panels of children aged 42-51
months and adults aged 50-70. The child test asks the
children, who work in pairs at their school or kindergarten, to
open the pack. They have five minutes to do so.
The children then see a silent demonstration and try to open
the pack for a further five minutes. For the pack to pass the
standard 85% must be unable to open it prior to
demonstration and 80% must be unable to do so during the
whole ten-minute period. To minimise child sampling the
standards specify sequential testing.
The adult sample consists of 100 adults aged 50-70 of whom
70% are female. After familiarisation 90 must open and
reclose the pack within one minute. Whilst the adult sample
doesn’t reflect the population being only a benchmark, it does
give a fair indication as to the adult open ability of the child
resistant packs under test.
The adult sample consists of 100 adults aged 50-70 of whom
70% are female. After familiarisation 90 must open and
reclose the pack within one minute.
Whilst the adult sample doesn’t reflect the population being
only a benchmark, it does give a fair indication as to the adult
open ability of the child resistant packs under test.