Mattel and Toy Safety

What does the phrase toy safety mean? What are the aspects of the toy safety? Toy safety is ensuring that toys are safe for children according to specific safety standards. Therefore, before manufactures sell their toys to the public, the toys must pass safety tests to prevent injuries. For instance, from a consumer perspective, when choosing toys for their children, there are certain characteristics to observe such as, buying toys large enough to avoid choking, making sure toys like stuff animals seams are reinforced, and checking if any paint is peeling. Unfortunately, there have been times when certain toy products are recalled due to safety issues. This is why toy safety should be the manufacturers’ top priority and must comply with specific safety regulations. Although toy safety concerns continue to occur, toy testing is an essential step for improvements and for satisfying the consumers’ needs, which should be every toy firm’s main goal

Our week five case study, Mattel and Toy Safety, involves toy safety inspection and product recall concerns among outside contractors. In 2007, the infamous toy company, Mattel, recalled a very large number of toy products covered with lead-based paint that were manufactured in China. Mattel responded to the massive toy recall by increasing the testing of all products and reassuring its customers that they will take affirmative action to correct the recall issues as soon possible. In my opinion, I believe Mattel acted in a socially responsible and ethical manner regarding the safety of it toys because as soon as Mattel was aware of a European merchant finding lead paint on their toy products, Mattel conducted an immediate investigation.

I think one addition step Mattel could h...

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... in the toy industry is to make toy safety the number one priority and to fulfill the customers’ needs.

Works Cited

Consumers Union (2011). Retrieved October 15, 2011, from http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/aboutus/mission/overview/index.htm

Council of Better Business Bureaus (2011). Retrieved October 15, 2011, from http://www.bbb.org/us/BBB-Mission/

HubPages Inc.,( 2011). Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://maryeaudet.hubpages.com/hub/Chinese-Toy-Recalls

Lawrence, A. T. & Weber, J. (2011). Business and society: Stakeholders, ethics, public policy (13th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (2011). Retrieved October 16, 2011, from http://www.astratoy.org/astra-toy-industry-safety-statement.asp

Toy Industries of Europe (2011). Retrieved October 14, 2011, from http://www.tietoy.org/index.php/home/page/58