May a Choking Hazard for Contents and a Plastic Bag Warning be Combined?
May a Choking Hazard for Contents and a Plastic Bag Warning be Combined?
I am the Package Design Manager for a consumer products company specializing in crafts products. I am looking for laws or regulations detailing what warning labels must be placed on the plastic bags in which our products are packaged.
Specifically I would like to know if these two warnings may be combined into one: "Choking Hazard-Small parts. Not for children under 3 years" and "WARNING: This bag is not a toy. Please dispose of properly. To avoid danger of suffocation, keep bag away from babies and children. Do not use bag in cribs, beds, carriages or playpens."
The requirements for warnings on plastic bags and the requirements for warnings about chocking hazards from small parts on toys are separate and cannot be combined. The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) regulates toy safety. For information on CPSC, Office of Compliance, Small Parts Regulation, click here.
The plastic bag warning requirements you refer to are not new. Five states and two cities require warnings for certain plastic bags with size and thickness dimensions that raise suffocation concerns with young children: California, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia and New York City and Chicago.