Safety Practices

**Please see our Certificate of Compliance at the end of this web page! 

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) over-sees the safety of products sold in the United States.  In 2008, in response to safety concerns created by recalls of imported toys last year, the federal govenment instructed the CPSC to enforce what has been a list of voluntary safety "guidelines" as safety "requirements".  The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 includes regulations that are to be phased in over time.  The CPSC and manufacturers are in the process of developing systems and procedures to insure products sold in the US comply with the regulations established by congress.  We will provide information related to this process as it evolves.

One of the requirements of the new regulations is that we clearly identify where our products are made.  You can rest assured:  All Beka wood products are made by us (Beka, Inc.) in our shop in St. Paul, MN (USA).

We are also required to clearly state: our products are designed to be assembled by adults.  Many of our products are sold with hardware (screws, bolts, washers, wing nuts) an adult will use in the assembly process.  Prior to its use, hardware can pose a hazard to children (small parts and sharp points); in addition plastic bags used to hold hardware and product components can pose a hazard to young children.  Never let children play with loose hardware or plastic bags.  Please dispose of any unused hardware, plastic bags and any packing material appropriately.   

Since our beginning, Beka products have been designed to comply with CPSC safety guidelines.  We test our products ourselves and send samples to third party labs for them to test and certify.  Our focus on natural woods allows us to avoid most of the recent safety concerns (since we don't use surface finishes, we don't need to worry about lead or heavy metals in paint).  Still, we test our raw materials for safety: hard maple, Baltic Birch, and chalkboard and markerboard panels we purchase from other US manufacturers.  Our use of material from domestic sources makes our lives relatively easy -- helping to insure the safety of our products.

Our locally produced products have received a variety of national awards; here is a partial list:

Club House Theaters :  Parents’ Choice Silver Award, Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toy, Dr. Toy’s Top 100 Toys, Institute for Childhood Resources Best Classic Toy.

Hard Maple Block Sets :  Early Childhood News 100 Best Products, Creative Child’s Creative Toy Award, Dr. Toy 100 Best Products.

Deluxe Easels :  Creative Child’s Creative Toy Award, Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toy, Dr. Toy’s Smart Toys List

Art Tables :  Creative Child’s Creative Toy Award, Dr. Toy 100 Best Products, Dr. Toy’s Smart Toys List

Stilts and Activity Tables :  Dr. Toy's Best Vacation Products.

We have been making natural wood products since 1973, so as you might imagine we've received a wide range of awards over those 35+ years.  Our products have been acknowledged for their creative designs, as classics praised for reliability, for their flexibility and ease of use, etc.  Given recent product recalls and safety concerns, formal awards are one way for us to reassure you that you can trust our products.

The most meaningful “award”, however, is positive feedback from people who have used Beka products for years, and plan to use them for years to come.  It’s not unusual for us to hear from an excited grandparent, who is cleaning up their child’s easel or block set as a gift for their grandchildren.  We replace puppet theater curtains lost during cross country moves, send instruction sheets to families who just “inherited” a Beka Loom from an aunt.....and the list goes on.  One of the things we take pride in is the great feedback we regularly get from people who are enjoying things we’ve made.  What can be better than that!

Ask your friends about Beka products; they're the best source of information you'll find.  Tell your friends about Beka products; you're the best source of information they'll find!

For information about awards listed above, contact the folks managing that program (they can all be searched on-line). 

**

As required by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008

Beka products are compliant to August 2009 requirements 

Materials:

Hard Maple, Chalkboard and Markerboard surfaces, Baltic Birch, and other components (hardboard, plastic easel trays, hardware, etc). 

Products Certified:

Easels, Puppet Theaters, Tables, Storage Carts, Block Sets, Stilts,

Multi-level Garages/Construction Zones, Weaving Looms, Ring Toss Games, and newer items tested before being added to our product line.

Safety regulations to which products are certified*:

16 CFR 1030  Lead Content Limits

Ban on Phthalate

ASTM F963  Heavy Metals Limits

ASTM F963  Mechanical Hazards 

Manufactured by Beka, Inc. 542 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55102

Ph. 651 - 222 - 7005

Records maintained by James Kreisman, President  Beka, Inc.

542 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55102

Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it     Ph. 651 - 222 - 7005

Products Manufactured on or after December 2008

By Beka, Inc. 542 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55102

Products tested on or after December 2008

Buffalo, New York  and Warwick, RI  USA

Third-Party Testing performed by

Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services, Inc.

100 Northpointe Parkway  Buffalo, New York 14228

Ph. (716) 505 - 3300

and

Toy Testing Lab (a division of RI Analytical)

41 Illinois Ave.  Warwick, RI 02888

Ph. (800) 937 - 3580 

* The CPSC has determined that natural wood is by its nature free of lead and heavy metals in levels that might present health concerns.  As a result, the CPSC has exempted natural wood (unpainted wood) from third-party testing.  All wood products are still subject to mechanical hazards testing.