Safety of children’s clothing - cords and drawstrings

Safety of Children’s Clothing - Cords and Drawstrings

Cords or drawstrings on children’s clothing have been a safety concern in Europe for many years. Cords or drawstrings are used in different parts of garment such as hood and waist for fastening the garment, or simply as decoration.  If not designed properly, drawstrings and cords on children’s clothing can present a safety hazard that potentially leads to injury or death if the cord or drawstring catches on fixed or moving objects. 

The number of notifications of unsafe products associated with cords or drawstrings reported by the Member States in the European Union has remain at the top in the category of clothing, textiles and fashion items. 

Key topics covered:

• General Product Safety Directive (GPSD) and how it links with safety of children’s clothing

• Statistical analysis of RAPEX notifications related to clothing, textiles and fashion items

• Detailed discussion on certain requirements of the European Standard EN 14682:2014 with examples from RAPEX notifications

• What manufacturers should consider to ensure safety of children’s clothing from the risks associated with cords or drawstrings

About the speaker

Sheikh Minhazuddin
Deputy General Manager, R&D Head, Technical Governance and Regulatory Compliance, TÜV SÜD

Mr. Minhazuddin is an expert in mechanical safety and physical testing of softlines products with more than sixteen years of experience in softlines testing and product safety regulation in international markets.

He is an experienced speaker and trainer on various topics related to mechanical safety and physical testing of softlines products.

Sheikh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Textile Technology from the University of Calcutta, India.

Related Services: Textile and clothing |Children's toys and products