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Introduction to the GSO G-Mark for Toys Presenter: Kathryn Sharp | Date: Sept. 23, 2021
Introduction to the GSO G-Mark for ToysPresenter: Kathryn Sharp | Date: Sept. 23, 2021
Agenda
GSO Overview
—GSO Technical Regulation for Toys
—G-Mark Application Process
—How QIMA Can Help
Disclaimer: The information provided in this webinar is an overview. Please refer to the most recent version of the technical regulation and related standards on https://www.gso.org.sa/en/ when applying for the G-Mark.
Oman
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Bahrain
Qatar
United Arab
Emirates
GSO stands for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Standardization Organization
GSO is a Regional Standardization Organization (RSO) established by the GCC Supreme Council
Member States:
• United Arab Emirates (ESMA)
• Kingdom of Bahrain (BSMD)
• Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SASO)
• Sultanate of Oman (DGSM)
• State of Qatar (QS)
• State of Kuwait (KOWSMD)
What is GSO?
The Gulf Conformity Marking also known as the G-Mark signifies the conformity of products to essential requirements of health, safety and environment.
What is a G-Mark?
Notified Body register (https://www.gso.org.sa/nb/)
What is a Notified Body (NB)?
Scope: Products designed or intended, whether exclusively, for use in play by children under 14 years of age, including but not limited to:
GSO Technical Regulation on Children’s Toys (BD-131704-01)
Functional Toy Aquatic Toy Activity Toy Chemical Toy
Cosmetic Kit Gustative Game Olfactory Board Game
Playground equipment intended for public use
Automatic playing machines, whether coin operated or not, intended for public use
Toy vehicles equipped with combustion engines
Toy steam engines
Slings and catapults
Exemptions
technicalspecifications
GS
O E
N 7
1
GS
O I
SO
81
24
GS
O A
ST
M F
96
3
GS
O I
EC
62
11
5
EN
62
11
5
GSO 1943
EN 55014
Mechanical
Properties
Ph
ys
ica
l
Pro
pe
rtie
s
Flammability
Migration of
ElementsN-Nitrosamines
N-Nitrosatable
Safety Requirements
of Cosmetics
Safety Requirements of
Personal Care Products
Phthalates
Lead
Cadmium
Electric
Toy
Safety
Electromagnetic
Compatibility
RequirementsT
ram
po
lin
es
fo
r
Do
me
sti
c U
se
Olfactory
Board
Games
Cosmetic Kits
Gu
sta
tiv
e
Ga
me
s
Finger Paints
Chemical
ToysExperimental Sets for
Chemistry
Disclaimer: The list of standards is subject to review. Please refer to the most recent version of the technical regulation and related standards on https://www.gso.org.sa/en/ when applying for the certificate of conformity.
Children’s Toys HS CodesProduct Type HS Code
Bicycles and other cycles (including delivery tricycles) – not motorized 8712
Two-wheeled bicycles with 16-inch wheel size 871200100001
Two-wheeled bicycles with wheel size between 16 to 20 inches 871200100002
Two-wheeled bicycles with a wheel size of more than 20 inches 871200100003
Two-wheeled scooters 871200100005
Toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereof 9500
Tricycles, scooters, pedal cars and similar wheeled toys; doll carriages, dolls, other toys, reduced-size (scale) models and similar recreational models, working or not, and puzzles
9503
Kids bicycles with three wheels 950300100001
Other games, operated by coins, banknotes, bank cards, tokens or by other means of payments, other than bowling alley equipment
950430000000
Dice games (table, ladder and serpent, monopoly, etc.) 950490000006
Festive, carnival or other entertainment articles, including conjuring tricks and novelty jokes
9505
Articles and equipment for general physical exercise, gymnastics, athletics, other sports (including table-tennis) or outdoor games, swimming pools and paddling pools
950600000000
Technical File Requirements
Requirement Type 1A Type 1B
Application form • •
Proof of Organization Entity (business/trade register or license) • •
Photos of the product including labels, marks, and warnings • •
Manufacturer Declaration of Conformity •
Importer Declaration of Conformity •
Product information and description • •
Technical information• Construction, product assembly drawings (soft toys excluded),
performance, intended use• Bill of Materials / Bill of Substance• Explanations and/or relevant design calculations• Test report(s) with a validity of one (1) year• Risk assessment
• •
Production flow • •
Letter of Authorization for Access (if applicable) • •
In-Line Inspection and Statistical Sampling •
QF-51-03B
[email protected] [email protected] 12
Supplier Responsibilities
Products meet requirements of Technical Regulations
—Perform Risk Assessment
—Declaration of Conformity
—10 year record retention
All instructions or warnings shall be legible and durable in either 1) Arabic, or 2) Arabic and English
Brand name, registered trade name, or registered trademark, address, country of origin, and the country of manufacturing shall be in both Arabic and English
Product name and net content can be in English
Safety information and instructions must be provided in 1) Arabic, or 2) Arabic and English
Labelling Requirements
GSO Conformity Tracking Symbol (GCTS)
Horizontal Placement
1 – Gulf Conformity Marking (G-Mark logo)
2 – QR Code tracking the certificate
Vertical Placement Minimum Dimensions
Case
GCTS Placement
1. Product dimensions and/or nature allow marking of GCTS
2. Product dimensions do not allow for complete GCTS mark
3. It is not possible for Product to be marked at all
Optional:
Optional:
Optional:
Optional:
Optional:
Optional:
On Product On Packaging On Accompanying Documents
G-Mark Application
Filing of a Certification Application1
Application Means
By Email [email protected]
By QIMA Online System (ACA)
Application Documents
G-Mark Application Form (QF-51-03B)
Technical file
Product Sample
One complete product with full packaging shall be sent to the following address (indicated by the R-Cloud no).
Application Review and Proforma Invoice Issuance2
Certification Team will check if all documents required in the application file are received and they match with the sample provided.
Certification Team will issue the proforma invoice (as applicable) and advise if the documents / samples are sufficient or not to proceed detail conformity assessment process.
Conformity Assessment, Review and Decision3
Certification Team will conduct conformity assessment when all application document and sample are received, and the client have accepted the amount quoted in the proforma invoice.
Certification Team will also determine if a GC Certificate can be granted or not based on the review results.
Application Review and Proforma Invoice Issuance4
Upon payment received by QIMA, Certification Team will inform the client of the results
If one or more nonconformities have arisen, a non-conformity memo will be issued
If all requirements are fulfilled, a GC Certificate and the GCTS will be issued. The client shall affix the GCTS to each individual certified product.
Challenges faced by importers
Does every product variation require its own Certificate?
Approach: Grouping
Manufacturer or Importer
Country of Origin (COC)
Age Range, Material, Function,
Feature
Brand HS Code
Grouping by:
Fewer Certificates needed
Die Cast Cars
Same importer/manufacturer
Same HS Code
Same material
Same brand
Same features and functionality
Case study: Toys
Plastic Toys
Same importer/manufacturer
Different HS Codes
Same material
Different brand
Different features and functionality
The solution?
Only issue 1 Certificate
Multiple Certificates
are Required
As a GSO-approved Notification Body (NB) QIMA can:
Perform the conformity assessment and issue the G-Mark for GCC regulated products
QIMA can also provide the following services:
SASO / SABER QIMA is also an approved Certification Body for SASO in Saudi Arabia.
Product Testing for products that lack a test report or have incomplete testing, QIMA Testing can meet your needs.
Risk Assessment for those importers or manufactures struggling with the Risk Assessment requirement, QIMA’s Technical Services team can assist.
Label Review Considered a value-added pre-check, a label review through QIMA Technical Services or QIMA Laboratories can help you avoid costly delays during the conformity assessment process.
How QIMA Can Help
Geographic Scope:QIMA is GSO-
approved NB through QIMA Limited in Hong
Kong. Requests can be processed through
any QIMA location.
Website: www.qima.com
Appendix
Products not included in Children’s Toy Scope
• Decorative objects for festivities and celebrations• Products for collectors intended for users over 14 years of age• Sports equipment• Bicycles with a maximum saddle height of 435 mm• Scooters used to travel on public roads• Electric vehicles• Aquatic equipment intended to be used in deep water• Puzzles with more than 500 pieces• Guns and pistols using compressed gas• Fireworks and games using sharp pointed missiles• Functional education products• Products intended to be used for educational purposes• Electronic equipment• Interactive software• Babies soothers• Child-appealing luminaires• Electrical transformers for toys• And Fashion accessories for children which are not for use in play
Disclaimer: The list of standards is subject to review. Please refer to the most recent version of the technical regulation and related standards on https://www.gso.org.sa/en/ when applying for the certificate of conformity.
Applicable StandardsItems, Materials, or Products Specification, Standard
Method, or Technique Used
Mechanical and physical properties GSO EN71-1
Flammability GSO EN 71-2
Migration of Certain Elements* GSO EN 71-3
Experimental Sets for Chemistry and Related Activities
GSO EN 71-4
Chemical Toys (Sets) Other than Experimental Sets
GSO EN 71-5
Finger Paints – Requirements and Test Methods
GSO EN 71-7
Activity Toys GSO EN-71-8
N-Nitrosamines and N-Nitrosatable Substances*
GSO EN 71-12
Olfactory Board Games, Cosmetic Kits, and Gustative Games
GSO EN 71-13
Trampolines for Domestic Use GSO EN 71-14
*See additional tables for limits of the chemical tests
Items, Materials, or Products Specification, Standard Method, or Technique Used
Electric Toys – Safety GSO IEC 62115, EN 62115
Safety Requirements of Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
GSO 1943
Cosmetic coloring substances GSO 394
Fragrances used in ToysBD-131704-01 Annex II, III
Chemical Properties, Clauses 9-10
Phthalate Content*CPSC-CH-C1001-09.3/9.4,
GSO ISO 8124-6, or 16 CFR 1307
Electromagnetic Compatibility Requirements for Household Appliances, Electric Tools, and Similar Apparatus
EN 55014
Physical, electrical, and chemical requirements not covered by EN-71
GSO ASTM F963
Physical, flammability, heavy metal, and phthalate not covered by EN-71
GSO ISO 8124
Other applicable tests such aschemical; radioactivity; CMR; allergy
Base on SA/CSA(Risk base)
Disclaimer: This list is subject to review. Please refer to the most recent version of the technical regulation and related standards on https://www.gso.org.sa/en/ when applying for the certificate of conformity.
Heavy Metal Limits
AI Sb As Ba B Cd Cr III Cr VI Co Cu Pb Mn Hg Ni Se Sr SnOrganic
TinZn
Scrapped-off material 28130 560 47 18750 15000 17 460 0.053 130 7700 23 15000 94 930 460 56000 180000 12 46000
Liquid/Sticky material 560 11.3 0.9 375 300 0.3 9.4 0.005 2.6 156 0.5 300 1.9 18.8 9.4 1125 3750 0.2 938
Dry/Brittle/Powder-like/ Pliable material
2250 45 3.8 1500 1200 1.3 37.5 0.02 10.5 622.5 2.0 1200 7.5 75 37.5 4500 15000 0.9 3750
Migration of Certain Elements (mg/kg)
Migrated Nitrosamines substances
Migrated Nitrosatable substances
For children under 36 months
< 0.05 mg/kg < 1 mg/kg
For toys intended to be placed in the mouth
< 0.05 mg/kg < 1 mg/kg
Limits
• Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)• Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)• Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP)
< 1000 ppm
• Di-”isononyl” phthalate (DINP)• Di-”isodecyl” phthalate (DIDP)• Di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP)
< 1000 ppm
N-Nitrosamines and N-Nitrosatable Substances Phthalate Content
