BRC unveils standard to make Halloween costumes safer

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Oct 18, 2017

The British Retail Consortium has worked together with UK laboratories to develop a new test to make children’s dress-up costumes safer.

The two voluntary Codes of Practice aim to prevent Halloween costumes from catching fire, following the accident involving TV presenter Claudia Winkleman’s daughter in 2014.

Retailers are encouraged to adopt the new, more robust flammability test and add flammability labelling on children’s dress-up costumes.

“The number of incidents of burns involving clothing, for example a child's fancy-dress costume, is thankfully relatively low - but when it does happen it is catastrophic,” said Ken Dunn, Consultant Burns and Plastic Surgeon from the Children’s Burns Trust.

David Bolton, Head of Product Safety at the BRC, added: “We have led the way in developing guidance and tools to help all companies, not just our members, test products to a standard above current regulations to give their customers the reassurances they rightly demand. First introduced in 2016, we continue to review and refine it to ensure it is robust and add to a company’s own due diligence process. We have also been working with BSI to encourage Europe to adopt our standard.

“Whilst this is a valuable tool for all companies, we are still recommending that the UK Government and EU authorities revisit the legislation to ensure all products on the market are effectively regulated to reflect the hazards presented by today’s style of costumes, including the fabrics and finishes used.”

The BRC test standard for flammability has been endorsed by RoSPA, The National Fire Chiefs Council, Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service and the Children’s Burns Trust.

UK retailers selling children’s fancy dress include M&S, Asda, Matalan, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Very.co.uk.