Khalisa Phillips, PhD, CPSI
Khalisa Phillips holds a PhD in human development and served 10+ years in human factors at the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Khalisa has conducted research on child development and play. She managed a multi-year observational study by NIH for the CPSC on the age appropriateness of children's toys, culminating in the publication of the 2020 Age Determination Guidelines for the toy industry.
Khalisa learned human factors hands-on at the CPSC by conducting product safety assessments for Compliance on a wide range of household products, including children's products. These assessments involved tasks such as but not limited to: examining a physical sample, applying anthropometric data to consumer use scenarios, determining whether a use scenario was likely when used as intended, reviewing instructions and warnings, and identifying patterns in incident data gleaned from reports of injury and death provided to the Commission.
Khalisa was a Commission expert on age grading, toys, and playgrounds. She co-managed the age grading program for CPSC, conducting and reviewing hundreds of age grades for Compliance each year. She oversaw improvements to the age grading database, and added tools to track and summarize timely completion. Khalisa was responsible for defending the government's position to firms contesting regulatory violations, including Commission litigation cases. She developed and led trainings on age grading across CPSC for Imports, Compliance, and General Counsel. Khalisa would regularly assist the Small Business Ombudsman in responding to questions from firms.
Khalisa led bi-weekly reviews of playground and toy incidents of injury and death to determine risk of harm and whether additional action was warranted. She was a key member of the team that produced the 2025 Public Playground Safety Handbook and would regularly answer questions from consumers about content in the Handbook. Khalisa briefed the Commission on multiple occasions, and gave presentations at workshops and conferences on a variety of topics pertaining to age grading and children’s product safety. Khalisa represented CPSC at ASTM voluntary standards meetings for playground equipment and wearable infant sleep products.
Since departing CPSC, Khalisa remains active with ASTM standards development activities for toys, playgrounds, and children's products. She is an NRPA Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI). She remains a member of the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization (ICPHSO) and the Society for Product Safety Professionals (SPSP).
For more information on Khalisa's background, see
AGE GRADING
Play Safely Consulting, LLC, offers age grading for toys, playgrounds, and children’s products to ensure age labels are accurate for consumer decision-making, and to guide testing decisions for safety hazards that are often age-dependent (choking hazards, strangulation cord length, etc.). We offer age grading for a wide range of consumer products including, but not limited to toys, sports equipment, party favors and decorations, costumes, collectibles, art supplies, backpacks, jewelry and decor. Age grading is highly recommended if you suspect your general use product may be purchased for or given to a child for play. We conduct age grades of prototypes during the design phase to support laboratory testing and behavioral risk assessments. Additionally, we offer age grading for existing products to support contested responses to regulatory violations issued by the CPSC. We are very familiar with the 2020 Age Determination Guidelines issued by CPSC staff, and all applicable standards for toys such as ASTM F963, ISO 8124-8, and EN71.
Our age grade reports consist of a description of the product’s features and functions, a recommended age, and a written rationale justifying our recommendation. We are also experienced at determining what product category(ies) are applicable similar to CPSC. All of our age grades fully satisfy the statutory requirements for age grading as specified in 16 CFR 1200.2 (2008). The statutory factors for children’s products also apply to toys subject to small parts requirements in 16 CFR 1501 and in ASTM F963 since they are designed and intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger.
Each age grade will address the following four statutory factors:
(i) A statement by a manufacturer about the intended use of such product, including a label on such product if such statement is reasonable.
(ii) Whether the product is represented in its packaging, display, promotion, or advertising as appropriate for use by children 12 years of age or younger.
(iii) Whether the product is commonly recognized by consumers as being intended for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.
(iv) The Age Determination Guidelines issued by the Commission staff in September 2002 and any successor to such guidelines.
Contact me to inquire about individual age grading needs. No job is too small, and I offer bulk rates for multiple samples or ongoing subcontracting arrangements.
PlaygroundS
Play Safely Consulting, LLC, offers CPSI-certified playground inspections and human factors guidance to develop safer play products and address safety concerns. We can evaluate your playground equipment and accessories to determine intended age group(s) and foreseeable behavior and potential scenarios of misuse, provide input for risk assessments of prototypes, document non-compliant safety hazards, and support litigation for existing products subject to CPSC regulatory violations or defect investigations.
We are very familiar with applicable standards for playground equipment such as ASTM F1487, F2373, F1148, and EN71. Additionally, our expertise includes CPSI-trained professionals who can perform playground inspections, and help you determine how the CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook guidelines apply to your product.
We can evaluate all active play products for your company including, but not limited to, playground equipment and surfacing, fully enclosed play structures, constant air inflatables, water slides, and trampolines.
Children's ProductS
Play Safely Consulting, LLC, offers risk assessments of consumer products intended for infants and children. Our analyses take into account factors like product size, features and functionality, child anthropometrics, strength data, foreseeable behaviors, and potential misuse scenarios. We are experienced at analyzing juvenile products for potential safety hazards (high chairs, kitchen learning towers, infant swings, etc.), and products designed for infant sleep such as swaddles, sheets, bassinets, and cribs. We can help you design instructions and warnings, and are familiar with applicable standards for ASTM F15 juvenile products.
