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Until that changeover, current assessments must follow the applicable directive requirements. Manufacturers should plan for the new regulation, including its digital product passport, without confusing future duties with obligations already in force.

• Physical and mechanical hazards.
• Flammability.
• Chemical hazards.
• Electrical hazards.
• Hygiene.
• Radioactivity.

The assessment must consider intended and reasonably foreseeable use, taking account of children's behaviour and the abilities of the intended users.

The scope excludes specified products, including public playground equipment, automatic playing machines for public use, toy vehicles with combustion engines, toy steam engines, slings and catapults. Annex I also lists products not considered toys, such as certain collectors' items and sports equipment. A label alone cannot turn an otherwise in-scope toy into a non-toy.

Harmonised standards are voluntary. Other legislation, such as RED for a radio function or RoHS for electrical equipment, may also apply. The product must be assessed against all relevant obligations, not a standard number selected in isolation.

This gives the manufacturer a defensible basis for its declaration and helps identify issues before production or market surveillance brings them to light.

All roles include duties concerning traceability, storage and transport where relevant, non-conforming products and cooperation with authorities. An operator marketing a toy under its own name or modifying it in a way that may affect conformity can assume manufacturer obligations.

The technical file is not simply a public marketing document. It must contain the design and manufacturing information, safety assessment, relevant test reports and other records specified in Article 21 and Annex IV.

It identifies the toy, manufacturer, applicable legislation and relevant standards or specifications, with notified-body details where applicable and the place, date and authorised signature. The future regulation's terminology and digital requirements should not be applied prematurely.

The manufacturer must still carry out the safety assessment, maintain production conformity and hold the necessary technical evidence. Internal assessment does not mean that testing or documentation can be omitted.

• No harmonised standards cover all relevant safety requirements.
• The relevant harmonised standards have not been applied, or have been applied only in part.
• A relevant harmonised standard has been published with a restriction affecting the toy.
• The manufacturer considers that the toy's nature, design, construction or purpose requires third-party verification.

The approved type is then followed by the required production-conformity procedure.

The manufacturer remains responsible for the toy and for ensuring that production continues to conform. A notified-body certificate does not transfer that responsibility.

Both must be completed before the toy is placed on the market. The safety assessment informs the design, testing, technical documentation and warnings.

Series production must remain consistent with the assessed design. Relevant design, material or standards changes require review.

For small toys or toys made up of small parts, a label or accompanying leaflet may be used as specified in Article 17. A limited counter-display provision also exists. The directive does not require the mark on the toy, packaging and instructions in every case.

The technical documentation is retained by the responsible operator; it is not the same as the information supplied to the user. Instructions and warnings must reflect the toy's actual design and foreseeable use.

Warnings that determine the decision to buy must be clearly visible before purchase, including online. Annex V sets additional wording and presentation rules for specified toy categories.