Keep Me Safe! Here’s what to know for Baby Safety Month 2018

"If your baby could talk – -what would she/he say? Perhaps, “keep me warm and cuddly,” “feed me, and change me” or “KEEP ME SAFE!” The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is all about safety, especially when it comes to our little bundles of joy. That’s why we are proud to recognize September as Baby Safety Month along with the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and other federal partners.

It’s a fact that most injuries can be prevented, and parents and caregivers play a major role in making sure little ones stay safe. CPSC would like to help in this effort by focusing on four lifesaving themes for the month of September. Are you ready for some serious baby talk on safety..."

Safe baby month

Operation Safe Gate: Put An End To Automatic Security Gate Tragedies

"CPSC’s Operation Safe Gate wants to put an end to preventable tragedies caused by automatic security gates.

While the good news is that deaths and injuries have gone down dramatically since the tougher Underwriters Laboratories 325 (UL 325) took effect in 2000, incidents and deaths still happen.

CPSC estimates that there are about 300 emergency room injuries each year due to automatic gates. Many of the injuries have been serious and resulted in cuts, broken bones, hematomas and amputations.  In addition, CPSC has received four tragic reports of fatalities in recent years, including an 8 year old, an 11 year old and a 12 year old.

The largest number of serious problems reported to CPSC generally occurs with public access gates around communities, condominiums and apartment buildings, which sometimes have older installations that do not meet current safety standards. You can also find these sliding and swinging gates at the entrances of private homes as well as commercial establishments. So what can you do?

Operation Safe Gate Safety Tips

If you live in a community where an automatic security gate is present, warn children of the dangers:

• NEVER play on or around automatic gates
• NEVER stick hands, legs or head through openings on gates. These are called entrapment zones or pinch points.
• Pedestrians should NEVER walk through an automated gate system that is intended for vehicle traffic only.
• A separate entrance for pedestrian traffic is a must.
• Make sure your gate bears the mark of a nationally recognized testing laboratory such as “UL” or “ETL.."
  Automatic security gates

National Proson Prevention Week, March 18-24, 2018

"Poisons can kill. But we also know that unintentional poisonings are preventable. That’s why the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urges everyone to have a Plan for Protection from Poisoning, especially if there are little ones or elderly relatives in the home.

Younger children tend to get into everything and often put things they shouldn’t into their mouths. Hazardous medicines and household cleaning products can be mistaken for more common products due to colorful packaging or fruity scents. Ingesting these can be a deadly mistake.

In 2016, more than 79,000 children were seen in the ER due to unintended pediatric poisoning. More than 84% of these incidents occurred in the home and most often with these five products: blood pressure medications, acetaminophen, laundry packets, bleach, and sedatives/anti-anxiety medications..."
Poisons

New Federal Standard to Improve Safety of Infant Slings Takes Effect

"If you, or anyone you know, uses an infant sling carrier, a new federal standard aimed at making sling carriers safer is now in effect. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approved the standard to prevent deaths and injuries to young children.  The new standard applies to any infant sling carrier manufactured or imported after January 30^th 2018.

What are the new rules?

Among other things, all infant slings must have permanently attached warning labels and come with instructions, like illustrated diagrams, to show the proper position of a child in the sling. Warning labels must include statements about:

• The suffocation hazards posed by slings and prevention measures,
• The hazards of children falling out of slings, and
• A reminder for caregivers to check the buckles, snaps, rings and other hardware to make sure no parts are broken

The mandatory standard also requires sling carriers to:

• Be able to carry up to three times the manufacturer’s maximum recommended weight,
• Be more durable to avoid seam separations, fabric tears, breakage, etc., and
• Be able to keep the child being carried from falling out of the sling during normal use...".

Infant slings

Portable Generators: 3 Critical Precautions to Take So You Don’t Die from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

"Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning deaths, caused by portable generators reportedly being used inside homes and/or garages, have been reported in Florida in recent days. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, there are widespread power outages. CPSC is warning consumers to take three critical precautions to prevent loss of life from poisonous carbon monoxide when using a portable generator:

1. NEVER use a portable generator inside your home. One portable generator can emit the same amount of deadly carbon monoxide gas as hundreds of mid-size cars. Just as you would not leave a car running in a closed garage, do not run a generator inside a garage, home, shed or near open windows or vents.

2. Portable generators need air and distance. Place generators OUTDOORS ONLY, at least 20 feet away from your home.

3. Carbon monoxide is called the “invisible killer.” This deadly gas is colorless and odorless and can quickly incapacitate and kill you and your family in minutes. A working CO alarm can detect high levels of the gas in your home. If it goes off, do not ignore it. Get out! Then call 911..."

Portable generators

What Should I Do If My Home Has Problem Drywall?

"CPSC has received about 4,051 reports from residents in 44 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico, who believe their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components in their homes are related to problem drywall. State and local authorities have also received similar reports. Homeowners report corrosion or blackening of metal in or on electrical fixtures, appliances, plumbing and air conditioner coils. Consumers largely report that their homes were built in 2006 to 2007, when an unprecedented increase in new construction occurred in part due to the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.

Where Has Problem Drywall Been Reported?

How Can I Tell If My Home Has Problem Drywall?

Other Frequently Asked Questions..."

Drywall

Fatal Drownings in Pools Involving Young Children Decreases By 17 Percent Nationwide Since 2010

"A new report released today by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that the number of reported fatal child drownings in swimming pools involving children younger than 5—the most vulnerable population—has decreased 17 percent nationwide since 2010, the year our Pool Safely public education campaign was launched. Despite the decrease, fatal and non-fatal child drownings in pools and spas continue to pose a public health challenge across the United States. In national and local media interviews today, CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle urged families to be vigilant when children are in and around the water this summer.

“Despite the positive decline in numbers, there are still far too many children who drown each year in pools and spas across the country,” said Acting Chairman Buerkle. “Swimming should be fun and a great way for families to be active, so long as everyone knows how to pool safely.  As a mother, grandmother and registered nurse, I raised my kids, and now my grandkids, with a respect for water. Constant supervision, along with four-sided fencing, knowing how to perform CPR and teaching children how to swim are all important steps to continuing the decline in child drownings.”..."

Youth drownings

Take a Ride, On the Safe Side!

"OK, let’s start with a little fun. When is a bicycle not a bicycle? Answer: When it turns into a driveway.While there are a lot of jokes out there about bicycles, let’s be clear, bike safety is NO laughing matter.

We estimate that there are more than 450,000 injuries associated with bicycles that landed people in ERs in 2016.   The most frequent diagnoses were contusions/abrasions (23.0%), fractures (21.7%), and lacerations (15.4%).

And, according to our friends at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) more than 800 bicyclists died in 2015 due to motor-vehicle-related crashes on public roads and highways.

These are some staggering statistics.  We need to do much more to keep kids and adults safe while biking.

May is National Bicycle Safety Month, a good time to remind family and friends to take a ride—a ride on the safe side!  Here’s how:

Helmet Safety:

• First, use your head: wear a helmet! Wearing one while cycling can significantly reduce the risk of head injury in the event of a fall.
• When buying a helmet look for the label that reads “Complies with U.S. CPSC Safety Standards for Bicycle Helmets.”
• Size matters, make sure the helmet fits. Also, it must have a chin strap and buckle that will stay securely fastened during impact.
• Regularly check the helmet for cracks or degradation. Remember if you crash it, trash it!.."

Bicycle helmets

Swing, Slide, Have fun. Play safe! Playgrounds Shouldn’t Hurt

" Seesaws, swings and slides! Now that springtime is here, playground season is in full swing. CPSC believes playgrounds should be safe! Far too often however, fun and games at the community playground or on the backyard play set can lead to injuries—and even death.

A new playground equipment report (pdf) was just issued by CPSC and it found that from 2009 to 2014, 19 of the 34 fatal playground incidents that we investigated were the result of hanging or asphyxiation. During that same time period, nearly 1.5 million injuries associated with playground equipment were treated nationally in emergency departments. Annually, that breaks down to about 243,000 ER treated injuries..."
Playground safety

See It Before You Sign It!

"Living off-campus while away at school is an exciting time in a college student’s life. With spring in the air, many students and parents are beginning their search for off- campus housing in time for the fall semester.  Parents and students are encouraged to put fire safety first.

Did you know that according to a study by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), 94% of fatal campus fires from 2000-2015 took place in off-campus housing? That same study showed 58% of fatal campus fires had no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that did not have working batteries.

Sadly, last year, a Southern Illinois University student died in an off- campus house fire and just this year, an Oregon college student, died in an off- campus apartment fire.

To help prevent these tragedies, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has teamed up with USFA, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Campus Firewatch to help get the message out about off- campus housing fire hazards.  The See It Before You Sign It campaign encourages parents to take a more active role in helping their student find fire safe housing.

It is important to never sign a lease until you have seen the housing.  Once you see the house or apartment, make sure it has:

• Working smoke alarms in every sleeping room as well as outside each sleeping area and on each level of the apartment or house. Test monthly.
• Fire sprinklers
• Two ways out of each room for a safe escape.."

Living off campus

Spring Home Improvements: Decorate, De-clutter and Prevent Deadly Tip Overs

"As the weather warms and a new season begins, it is the perfect time to take simple, proactive steps to make your home safer for your family.

Every 30 minutes, a child in the U.S. is hurt, and every two weeks a child dies as a result of a furniture and/or TV tip-over incident. To better understand what can lead to TV tip-overs, CPSC studied nearly 300 reports of nonfatal incidents.

Here’s what we learned and here’s how you can use the information this spring to make major home safety changes with minimal effort:

• • The majority (83.5 percent) of TV falls occurred when a child climbed on furniture where a TV was sitting on top. Children are curious and climb to pull or stand on a drawer or shelf, usually in an effort to reach the TV or other items on top of the furniture.
    Spring cleaning tip: Mount TVs or place them on furniture designed to hold a TV. Then remove any objects that might tempt a child to climb.
  • More than 90 percent of incidents involved CRT TVs. These older and bulky tube TVs are more tip prone because they are heavier in the front. When they fall, the heavy TVs can fall with the force of up to 12,000 pounds.
    Spring cleaning tip: Get rid of this potentially deadly danger. Remove and recycle the unused CRT TV rather than moving it to another room.
  • In all but one incident studied, anti-tip devices were not installed. Newer dressers are sold with anti-tip devices and flat-panel TVs have pre-drilled holes for anchoring. Anchoring furniture and TVs is easy, inexpensive and only takes a few minutes.Spring cleaning tip: Check your tool kit for the anti-tip kit sold with your child’s dresser and once found, install it. You will have a safer home. If you can’t find yours, buy an anti-tip device..."
    Spring home improvements

Five States Account for 25 Percent of All Reported ATV-Related Deaths in the United States

"Taking a four wheeler out for a spin is a recreational activity that many riding enthusiasts participate in all year long. Yet, riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) continues to be a dangerous and deadly activity when certain safety precautions are not followed. Deaths and injuries resulting from ATV incidents have ticked down in recent years, although the stats are still deeply concerning to CPSC. There are about 650 deaths and 100,000 injuries every year involving ATVs, according to our 2015 ATV Annual Report.

As of December 31, 2015, CPSC staff received reports of 14,129 ATV-related fatalities occurring between 1982 and 2015, with 340 ATV-related fatalities occurring in 2015, 547 occurring in 2014, and 581 occurring in 2013. Reporting for the years 2013 through 2015 is ongoing and these numbers are expected to increase in future reports.

Taking a closer look at where ATV-related deaths take place, five states combined account for 3,208 deaths or 25 percent of all reported ATV-related deaths in the United States for the years 1982 through 2012.*..."ATV

Kids Can Strangle in Window Cords

"Do you live in military housing with your family?   Take a look at your window blinds or other type of window coverings, including Roman shades.  If you can see any dangling or accessible cords, your child is at risk..."
Kids and Window cords

On Safety: CPSC Stands for Safety

View a variety of videos on safety issues from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ABC's of School Safety

Kids talk about school safety! Always wear the right helmet. Be safe and have fun. Careful with the clothing, Mom and Dad.

Beware of Tiny batteries

"Look at that flashlight lying on the kitchen counter. Or the remote control next to the TV. Or the scale in your bathroom. These and hundreds of other products in homes are powered by coin-sized batteries, called "button batteries." As batteries are shrinking and becoming more powerful, the number of battery-related incidents resulting in severe injury and death is increasing..."

Drywall Information Center

"CPSC has received about 3,924 reports from residents in 43 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico, who believe their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components in their homes are related to problem drywall. State and local authorities have also received similar reports...

Consumers largely report that their homes were built in 2006 to 2007, when an unprecedented increase in new construction occurred in part due to the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005..."

Safe Sleep for Babies

Whether you just had a baby, expecting a new baby, or taking care of a young infant it's important to create a safe sleep environment for your baby. Take a few moments to see how to create a safe sleep environment for your baby.

Infant Swings

"CPSC is making progress in establishing a new safety rule for infant swings. Many of you moms and dads know these products well, as they have helped your baby fall asleep at 3 a.m., 3 p.m., and everywhere in between.

While working through the safety of these swings, CPSC staff has assembled some interesting information for new moms and dads:

First, when you bring your new baby home, remember that newborns and young infants don’t have the muscle tone or strength to keep their heads up. So, when you put them into a swing, make sure that your baby is lying down..."

CO Deaths Continue to Rise

"Just in time for the cold weather, we have new information on carbon monoxide (CO) deaths associated with the use of consumer products.

In 2008 — the latest year for which we have complete data — there were about 190 unintentional non-fire CO-poisoning deaths associated with consumer products under our jurisdiction. The product associated with most of these deaths? Portable generators.

As more people use portable generators, the numbers of CO-related deaths have increased. In 1999 there were seven generator-related CO deaths. In 2008 the number of deaths reached 86. That’s an increase of more than 1,000 percent.

Carbon monoxide is an invisible killer that strikes within minutes. You can protect yourself with a few simple safety rules:

Install working CO alarms in your home. Make sure the alarm is battery-operated or has a battery-backup so it works during a power outage.
Keep all generators outside of your home, away from doors and windows.
Never use a generator in a garage, basement, crawl space, shed or on a porch..."