Minnesota Administrative Rules

2630.3200 TOY CHESTS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES.

Subpart 1.

Compliance.

No person, firm, corporation, association or agent or employee thereof shall import, manufacture, sell, hold for sale, or distribute any toy chest or similar article intended for use by children that does not comply with the provisions of subparts 2 and 3.

Subp. 2.

Instructions included with nonassembled toy chests.

Toy chests and similar articles intended for use by children, unless they are sold completely assembled to the consumer, shall be accompanied by detailed instructions that include an assembly drawing, a list and description of all parts and tools required for assembly, and a full-size diagram of the required bolts and other fasteners.

The instructions shall be written so that unskilled lay persons following the instructions can correctly assembly the article without making errors that would result in improper or unsafe assembly. The instructions shall include cautionary statements concerning tightening of bolts and other fasteners.

Subp. 3.

Requirements for design and construction.

Requirements for design and construction:

A.

The article shall have no components that have the potential for causing injury by shearing, scissoring, or pinching actions; have the potential for causing laceration or puncture wound injury; have sharp or rough edges; or are threaded hardware that protrudes more than one diameter beyond the internally threaded fastener or structural member.

B.

All wood parts and surfaces shall be smooth and free from splinters, splits, cracks, and similar defects.

C.

No attachments, including, but not limited to, built-in toys, decorations, and design components, and no part thereof that will become accessible when subjected to normal use or reasonably foreseeable damage or abuse, shall have laceration or puncture injury potential.

D.

If the article or a component thereof has a continuous enclosed volume greater than 1.1 cubic feet and a smaller internal dimension of six inches or more, it must comply with the following:

(1)

the article or component shall have no positive latching device;

(2)

any vertically opening door or lid that is self-closing due to the article's design and that weighs more than three pounds shall be counterbalanced and require a force of less than 1-1/2 pounds for opening, as measured at the point or edge opposite the hinges;

(3)

the article shall be ventilated through at least two openings which together total at least two square inches in area. Each such opening shall be located either in the top surface and in the upper one-quarter of at least one vertical surface, or in the upper one-quarter of at least two vertical surfaces of the enclosure. The openings shall be at least ten inches apart at their edges as measured across the surfaces. The article shall contain structural features that permit the passage of air when the ventilated surface is contiguous with a solid flat surface, such as a wall.

Statutory Authority:

MS s 325F.11

History:

17 SR 1279

Published Electronically:

October 8, 2013