SAFEGUARDS | Softlines NO. 142/19
International accident statistics indicate that cords and drawstrings on children's clothing are prone to serious accidents such as entrapment of hood cords in playground equipment (e.g. slides) or entrapment of cords and strings on the waist and lower hems of garments in moving vehicles (e.g. bus doors). In order to minimize the risk of accidental entrapment by cords or drawstrings on children's clothing, BSMI revised CNS 15291:2009 with reference to BS EN 14682:2014 to cover potential hazards that may create by an unsafe garment. The amended standard CNS 15291:2019 issued on July 12th, 2019 is effective immediately.
CNS 15291:2019 clarifies the specific requirements of cords and drawstrings on children's clothing, including costumes and skiwear, for children up to the age of 14 years. In addition to the reference of EU standards, the revision in CNS 15291 also considers the height and size of local children with reference to the human body measurement data published by Taiwan Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Table 1 - Comparison of age and height requirements between CNS 15291:2009, CNS 15291:2019 and BS EN 14682:2014
CNS 15291:2009 | CNS 15291:2019 | BS EN 14682:2014 | |
---|---|---|---|
Young child | Children aged from birth to 7 years of a height up to and including 133 cm | Boys aged from birth to 7 years of a height up to and including 131 cm and girls height up to and including 130 cm | Children aged from birth to 7 years (including 6 years and 11 months) which includes a height up to and including 134 cm |
Older child and young person | Boys aged from 7 to 12 years with a height greater than 133 cm up to 169 cm and girls of a height greater than 133 cm up to 166 cm | Boys aged from 7 to 14 years of a height greater than 131 cm up to 176 cm, and girls of a height greater than 130 cm up to 167 cm | Children aged from 7 to 14 years (including 13 years and 11 months) which includes all boys of a height greater than 134 cm up to 182 cm, and girls of a height greater than 134 cm up to 176 cm |
In the 2019 version, there are 4 main amendments:
- Adjustable tabs - are permissible on sleeves provided they are no longer than 10 cm in length and when open do not hang below the edge of the sleeve (Section 3.7.5).
- Chest and waist area - Garments worn from waist down without shoulder straps, braces or sleeves (e.g. trousers, shorts, skirts, briefs, bikini bottoms) shall not have free ends of drawstrings longer than 20 cm at each end when the garment is in a relaxed natural state (Section 3.4.1).
- Sleeves - Drawstrings, functional cords and decorative cords positioned below the elbow on long sleeves, shall not hang below the lower edge and free ends shall be no longer than 7.5 cm (Section 3.7).
- Halter neck-style garments -shall be constructed with no free ends at the neck and throat area (Section 3.2.6 & 3.3.6). The use of a clip or fastening of two cords is acceptable, provided these do not result in free ends of cords when garment is worn.
For details, please refer to the full version of standard available at CNS website.
References
[1] CNS 15291:2019 (in Chinese)
[2] BSMI News (in Chinese)
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