New standard for pacifier holders (DIN EN 12586)

The November 2002 edition is the revised version of European Standard EN 12586 "Childcare articles for infants and young children; pacifier holders, safety requirements and test methods", which has been adopted into the national body of standards as DIN EN. Compared to the November 1999 edition, some editorial changes had to be made which did not affect the essential content. This European Standard specifies safety requirements for materials, construction, design, packaging and marking of pacifier holders as well as the corresponding test methods. The users of this standard (manufacturers, distributors, importers and testing institutions) should also consult the national legal regulations when evaluating the products or during production. The consumer side was actively involved in the development of the standard.

The introduction to DIN EN 12586 explains:

'The number of accidents caused by pacifiers is small and such accidents that have a fatal outcome are virtually unknown. However, a small number of children have died as a result of accidents in which a soother was the cause. Death was almost always caused by strangulation with a strap or cord used to hang a pacifier around a child's neck (amateurish self-constructions). These straps or cords were not suitable for attaching pacifiers, were made for other purposes (e.g. shoelaces) and were therefore extremely dangerous for the child. Consequently, a safety standard for pacifier holders is extremely important.

DIN EN 12586 is a standard for the product pacifier holder and the main objective is to eliminate the risk of strangulation in connection with pacifiers. This has only been made possible by the decisive limitation of the length of the pacifier holder. The length of the pacifier holder may only be such that it is not possible for a belt, strap or chain to be placed around the neck of an infant. This means that strangulation can no longer occur with the pacifier/pacifier holder combination. The pacifier holders in accordance with this standard are attached at one end to the child's clothing using a clip. The other end is connected to the pacifier.

A strictly functional pacifier holder "i.e. a pair of unadorned clips connected by a strap, cord, ribbon or plastic chain (the maximum length of which is limited to 220 mm) is not considered a toy. If one or both clips have simple shapes and are decorated by coloring or printing, the product does not yet become a toy. However, if the attachment to the child's garment is made more appealing by attaching, for example, a small soft toy, the entire product becomes a toy but remains a pacifier holder in character."

The scope of the standard goes on to state that

"There are some products that are intended for more than one purpose, e.g. a pacifier holder could hold a rattle or a soft toy. On the other hand, the connecting cord could have a cord with decorative colored beads. Each of these products should meet the requirements of this standard. If these products are also toys, the overall product should also comply with the relevant requirements of EN 71 (safety of toys)."

One of the requirements of DIN EN 12586 is that the pacifier holder must be accompanied by instructions for use. These must at least fulfill the following requirements:

The warnings must be used in the following form:

For the safety of the child!

Warning: The entire pacifier holder must be checked before each use. At the first sign of defects or damage, please throw it away!

Never extend the pacifier holder!

Never attach it to straps, bands or loose parts of clothing. Your child could strangle itself.

The following information must also be included:

- Information on safe use

- A recommendation that the pacifier holder should only be attached to clothing

- A recommendation not to use the pacifier holder when the infant is in a playpen, bed or cradle

- Suitable cleaning method

- Unsuitable procedures for cleaning, storage and use

The DIN EN 12586 standard can be obtained from

Beuth Verlag GmbH

Burggrafenstraße 6

10787 Berlin

Tel.: 030/2601-2260

Fax: 0 30 / 26 01 - 12 60

E-mail: postmaster@beuth.de

Source:

Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Mehr Sicherheit für Kinder e. V., Heilsbachstr. 13, 53123 Bonn