LONG BEACH, Calif. — Product safety inspectors will be deployed full time at U.S. ports to screen toys and other imports for potential safety hazards, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said yesterday.

The new import surveillance division will test selected products for unsafe levels of lead, loose parts that could pose a choking risk to children, faulty wiring on electric components, and other potential hazards.

The unit will have the authority to hold shipments deemed hazardous. The initiative follows last fall's recall of millions of toys — most from China — because of lead or other hazards.

The CPSC has been under pressure for not acting quickly enough to eliminate hazardous products from store shelves.

The new unit will work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Before the change, customs agents would conduct safety tests only at the request of the commission.

The CPSC has had agents checking products at ports for years on a case-by-case basis. The new initiative will place inspectors full time at ports, said Nancy Nord, the commission's acting chairman.

Initially, the agency will only have inspectors at the Port of Long Beach. Nord declined to specify a timetable or sites for the deployment of more inspectors.