BS EN 14682:2014 Safety of children’s clothing – Cords and drawstrings on children’s clothing – Specifications, is being revised and updated. The current standard is “designated” in the UK and “harmonised” in the EU.

This means that garments which meet the design requirements are presumed to be safe for cords and drawstrings under the UK General Product Safety Regulations and the EU General Product Safety Directive. It is anticipated that the revised standard will be Designated in UK or Harmonised in the EU in due course.

The proposed changes include:

• New definitions for arm area and raw edges. Several definitions have been revised to improve clarity.
• Many requirement clauses have been updated to reflect new and evolving fashion styles and features on clothing for children. There are new or modified requirements for:
  • cords emerging on the head or neck area of garments;
  • decorative features on hoods of garments;
  • raw edges on garments;
  • cords on bootees and socks for pre-walking children; and
  • cords in the lower leg area of garments including socks and hosiery.

Readers in the UK are invited to click here and register or login to read the new draft version and submit any comments and suggestions. Those in the EU should also be able to read the draft document but should submit their comments to their National Standards Body.

What happens to the comments?

All UK comments are reviewed by the UK committee, BSI TCI 66/-/2, before submission to the European standards group, CEN TC 248 WG 20. Every comment to the European standards group has to be considered and either accepted with the text of the standard modified or rejected with a rationale by the committee.

Please submit your comments to BSI by 6 June 2023. This is your opportunity to influence the safety of children’s clothing.

For further information, please click here to visit the Bolton Consultancy Ltd website.