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Dubai to have bilingual labels for toys soon

DUBAI - The regulation on toy safety requiring Arabic labelling - in addition to the English one - introduced by Dubai Municipality a few months ago, has received a good response from the members of the public and will now be implemented on a larger scale, Redha Hassan Salman, Head of the Environment Protection and Safety Section (EPSS) at the civic body, told Khaleej Times recently.

"At present, the regulation of Arabic labelling of toys is enforced primarily on major toy shops across the emirate and has been in force for the past six months. During this period, certain surveys were conducted seeking feedback on the labelling from Arabic-speaking communities in Dubai, and the results are very encouraging," Mr Salman said.

Buoyed by the public response, which suggests that English labelling for important information and warnings is not adequate, toy shops across Dubai will soon have to have bilingual labels on the products, he added.

According to EPSS's Technical Guideline No. 67, safety regulations should be applied to any product or material designed and intended for use in play by children of less than 14 years of age, whether the toys are mechanical, chemical or electrical, slides, swings, rings etc. Mr Salman said that the guideline specifically mentions that all toys should have labels showing the use of the toys and the possible dangers associated with its usage, as well as the suitable age of the user.

It also requires the labelling to include instructions on the proper way of handling the toy and advice usage under adult supervision, as and when necessary.

Toys intended for use in water are required to provide instructions on maximum water depth, while instructions about the type of safety equipment to be worn while using toys such as skateboards, roller-skates, scooters etc should be clearly specified.

To enforce regulations on toy safety, the EPSS carries out inspections, for which it has appointed area inspectors to conduct regular and surprise inspections in shops in their respective areas. In addition to this, the section also conducts awareness campaigns targeting schools and the general public, Mr. Salman said.

He added that EPSS produced the first ever video on hazardous toys, which has been telecast on a number of regional television channels. There have been requests from many Gulf countries for the immensely popular 20-minute film, Mr. Salman said.

Detailing the operations of the section in 2002, Mr. Salman said that section conducted a total of 884 inspections covering toys and consumer items, including visits for other environmental inspections the section undertakes.

He noted that the section's emphasis is not on hazardous toys alone but also on toys that promote or glamorise social vices such as gambling, smoking and drinking, or those that violate the traditions and culture of the emirates.