The mandatory standard prescribes requirements for the design, construction and warning information for aquatic toys.
About aquatic toys
The mandatory standard applies to aquatic toys that are designed:
- to bear the mass of a child under the age of 14
- for use in play in shallow water by a child
whether or not it is inflatable and whether or not it is designed to be worn or otherwise attached to the body.
Aquatic toys can include but are not limited to:
- inflatable novelty shapes
- inflatable toy boats for shallow water
- unattached rings — complete or partial.
The mandatory standard excludes:
- beach balls
- surfboards
- bodyboards
- inflatable air beds
- inflatable boats for deep water
- kickboards.
Mandatory standard
The Consumer Goods (Aquatic Toys) Safety Standard 2020 sets out the mandatory requirements for aquatic toys. These requirements are intended to reduce the risk of serious injury or death to children from drowning.
An aquatic toy must comply with the relevant sections of one of the following standards:
- Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS ISO 8124.1:2019 Safety of toys Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties
- International Standard ISO 8124-1:2018 Safety of toys - Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties.
These standards can be purchased from the SAI Global or ISO websites.
The ACCC can make a copy of these standards available for viewing at one of its offices, subject to licensing conditions.
Key requirements
This information aims to give suppliers a general idea of what is required by the mandatory standard. Suppliers must not rely on this information as a complete guide to compliance, and should refer to the Consumer Goods (Aquatic Toys) Safety Standard 2020 for the full requirements.
Design and construction
Inflatable aquatic toys must meet prescribed design and construction requirements set out in the mandatory standard.
Warning requirements
Aquatic toys must carry a warning in accordance with the mandatory standard.
The words of the warning must be:
- in English
- clearly legible
- clearly visible
- indelible.
Advertising copy or graphics shall not state or imply that a child will be safe if left unsupervised with an aquatic toy.
More information is available in the Explanatory Statement on the Federal Register of Legislation website.
Mandatory standard for swimming and flotation aids
Please note that there is a mandatory standard for swimming and flotation aids that applies to a separate class of products. Aquatic toys are not swimming and flotation aids.
