• The Trade Inspection Authority examined 330 batches of children’s clothing.
• The inspectors questioned the safety of more than 38% of the garments.
• The main reason was excessive length of strings, which posed a threat to the life or health of children.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, at the request of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, the Trade Inspection Authority verified the safety of children’s clothing. It paid particular attention to strings, as they pose the greatest threat. For instance, when placed at the neck, they might strangle the child. On the other hand, when strings are too long, they may become entangled into something and cause the child to fall. Another danger is posed by decorations which a child might tear away from a ribbon and choke on.

The inspectors audited 71 undertakings, including 60 shops. The majority thereof were selected at random, and the rest on the basis of earlier irregularities or complaints. The inspectors examined 330 batches of various types of children’s clothing. They questioned the safety of 126 batches (38.18%). In 79 garments (23.94%), they discovered strings which did not comply with the legal regulations and posed a threat to children. The remaining irregularities concerned mainly errors in marking, e.g. failure to include the name and address of the manufacturer.

Examples of irregularities:

1. A tunic for girls up to 7 years old featured decorative strings at the hood. These are not permitted in the neck, head and nape area of clothing for small children as they pose
   a risk of strangulation.
2. A sweater for girls up to 7 years old featured a 25-centimetre string in the waist area, with knots at the ends, which hung below the clothing. Strings in this area may only be 14 cm long; moreover, their ends cannot feature any decorations whatsoever and must be protected against fraying.
3. A sweater for older children (7–14 years) featured a decorative cord which was 16 cm long (permitted length: 7.5 cm) and 38‑centimetre drawstrings which hung below the bottom hem of the garment, contrary to the regulations.

The majority of undertakings remedied the irregularities voluntarily during the audit. UOKiK is considering initiation of proceedings in the case of 53 defective products.

The results of the audit are worse than of the previous one. In the second quarter of 2016, the inspectors had discovered irregularities in 30.8% of the audited children’s clothing.

The audit report is available only in Polish.

Additional information for the media:

UOKiK Press Office
Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 1, 00-950 Warszawa
Phone: +48 695 902 088
Email: [SCODE]Yml1cm9wcmFzb3dlQHVva2lrLmdvdi5wbA==[ECODE]
Twitter: @UOKiKgovPL