OnSafety is the Official Blog Site of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Here you'll find the latest safety information as well as important messages that will keep you and your family safe. We hope you'll visit often!
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By CPSC Blogger on December 6, 2010
 simulation of a window cord hazard Sadly, a young child is likely to die this month, strangled by a window covering cord. The question is: Could that corded window covering be in your house?
The stories we’re about to tell you are tragic, and they are all too real. Both incidents happened earlier this year. Read the stories below, and then look at EVERY window covering in your house. If you have young children around and you see accessible cords ANYWHERE on your window coverings, take heed.
CPSC recommends that you use cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit. Cordless window coverings are the safest solution.
If buying new, cordless window coverings is not an option for you, contact the Window Covering Safety Council at www.windowcoverings.org to obtain a free repair kit and install it properly to make your window coverings safer. Some, but not all, of the repair kits will make your window coverings cordless. After you install a repair kit, check your window coverings again for accessible cords.
A little boy and a Roman shade
Four years ago, a mom and dad installed corded Roman shades in their first son’s bedroom. Over time, the family grew, with the first son becoming the oldest of four children. The youngest children included a 22-month-old boy and a newborn baby girl.
 A 22-month-old boy strangled on this tangled outer cord.
Mom and dad regularly tried to tie the hanging window covering cords up so that they did not hang down, using a bracket that had been provided for each shade.
One day, the 22-month-old was playing in his older brother’s room. Dad left him playing for about 10 minutes. When Dad returned, he found his little boy standing with both feet on the ground and the Roman shade cord hanging around his neck. The cord was tangled at the end and created a noose around the boy’s neck. Ten days later, the boy died in a hospital. His cause of death: accidental strangulation.
She liked to look out her window at the kids at a nearby child care center
A nearly 4-year-old girl spent her morning playing and watching a movie in her bedroom. The girl liked to look out her window at children arriving and departing from a nearby child care center. This is what her mother thinks she was trying to do on her last morning alive.
The girl’s mother was making lunch around noon. Between 5 and 15 minutes after the girl was last seen, her 6-year-old brother went up to the bedroom that the two shared. He found his sister hanging from the horizontal window blind’s operating cords. The girl’s father didn’t have an easy way to get the cords off his daughter’s neck. While holding her, the dad chewed the cords free. The girl was pronounced dead upon her arrival at the hospital.
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In the past year, CPSC has announced the voluntary recall of more than 50 million Roman shades and roll-up blinds made and sold by many different companies. In addition, in 1994 and in 2000, CPSC and the Window Covering Safety Council announced recalls to repair horizontal blinds to prevent strangulation hazards posed by pull cord and inner cord loops.
CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum is urging the window covering manufacturers to stay on track in creating a comprehensive set of safety standards next year. The chairman has called for these standards to design out the risk of strangulation in their products.
Still, it’s imperative that each and every one of us make the window coverings in our homes safe for our families. Here’s how:
- Examine all shades and blinds in your home. Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, or back of the product. CPSC recommends the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.
- Do not place cribs, beds, and furniture close to the windows because children can climb on them and gain access to the cords.
- Make loose cords inaccessible.
- If the window covering has looped bead chains or nylon cords, install tension devices to keep the cord taut.
This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2010/12/kids-and-cords-don%e2%80%99t-mix/
By CPSC Blogger on December 3, 2010
It’s possible – even probable – that you were traveling or cooking just before Thanksgiving and missed a big development for consumers and businesses here at CPSC.
The Commission moved forward to create a publicly available consumer product safety information database. The Commission voted 3-2 to publish a final rule about the database in the Federal Register.
So, what does that mean for you? A lot!
Here’s the lowdown:
Consumers can and do tell us about unsafe products. The difference is currently those reports are not readily accessible by you at this time, but come March of next year, they will be.
Early next year, you will be able to go to SaferProducts.gov and file a report telling CPSC and other consumers about harmful or potentially harmful consumer products. Real people, just like you, have already tested early versions of CPSC’s new reporting form. They’ve been pleasantly surprised at how easy and intuitive the form is. We hope you will find it easy, too.
Many of you probably already think to contact a store or a manufacturer when you experience a safety problem with a consumer product. But how many of you think “I’ve got to tell the Consumer Product Safety Commission about that”?
That’s EXACTLY what we want you to do and what this database is all about.
You will be able tell CPSC and other consumers about safety issues that you encounter with a consumer product. We will send that report to the manufacturer for a comment. We will then post your report on SaferProducts.gov. We’ll include the manufacturer’s comments as well, if they ask us to do so.
You will also be able to go to SaferProducts.gov and search for products. Maybe it’s something you’re thinking of buying. Maybe it’s something you own. Regardless, you can search, and you will see other consumers’ experience with that product and what the manufacturer’s comments are about those experiences.
It’s transparent, it’s open government and it’s all about serving you, the American public.
This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2010/12/coming-next-year-the-consumer-product-safety-information-database/
By CPSC Blogger on November 19, 2010
For many parents, babywearing promotes a positive bond between parent and child.
The key for any mom, dad, or caregiver who wears their baby is education. In the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. We at CPSC want babywearers caring for infants younger than 4 months old to keep this in mind.
Babywearers should place their baby’s face at or above the rim of a sling or wrap so that their face is visible.
When babies are placed with their faces below the rim of a sling, they are not able to lift their heads to breathe. This can lead to the following two hazardous situations:
- One risk occurs when a baby’s head is turned toward the adult. An infant’s nose and mouth can be pressed against the baby wearer and become blocked, preventing the baby from breathing. Suffocation can happen quickly, within a minute or two.
- When a baby lies in a sling, the fabric can push the baby’s head forward to its chest. Infants can’t lift their heads and free themselves to breathe. This curled, chin-to-chest position can partially restrict a baby’s airways, causing a baby to lose consciousness. The baby cannot cry out for help.
In addition, CPSC urges parents of infants younger than four months of age, premature or low birth-weight babies and babies with colds and respiratory problems to use extra caution and consult their pediatricians about using slings.
All of this information is consistent with what CPSC shared with parents in March. So, why raise this again?
Every day, new babies are born and new moms, dads, and caregivers may not be aware of the safety information we’ve given before. We want all new moms and dads who choose to wear their babies to know how to keep their babies safe.
Child safety experts at CPSC have looked at incidents and sadly found 14 reports of infants who suffocated and died in sling-style carriers during the past 20 years. To prevent any more deaths, CPSC staff urges parents to use extra caution with infants younger than 4 months old, premature, low birth-weight babies, and babies with colds and respiratory problems when using infant slings.
This warning is not intended to characterize all slings as being dangerous to babies. CPSC has identified (1) specific situations that can pose a risk of serious harm to babies, and (2) simple safety tips that we hope the babywearing community can share with new parents so that they have a safe, heart-to-heart bond while using an infant sling.
CPSC stands for safety, especially the safety of babies.
This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2010/11/a-safe-babywearing-experience/
By CPSC Blogger on November 18, 2010
It’s that time of year again. “ ’Tis the Season” for news stories about the top toys of the season and which toys are the most dangerous.
As the federal government’s consumer product safety agency, CPSC is not in the business of telling you what to buy. But we ARE all about helping you keep your families safe during the holidays. New CPSC statistics today reveal that while recalls and deaths are down, injuries related to toys have increased. Many of these injuries are associated with, but not necessarily caused by, a toy.
With that in mind, here are some things to consider in this gift-giving season and beyond:
1. Choose Age-Appropriate Toys: Look at the age recommendation on the toys you are choosing and match that recommendation to your child. Avoid toys with small parts for children younger than 3. Those small parts can cause a child to choke. For children under 6, avoid play sets or building toys with small magnets. A child can swallow those magnets, which can result in a serious injury or even death. Starting at a young age, teach your children not to put toys in their mouths.
2. Gear Up: If sports-related gifts such as ride-on toys, bicycles, skates or scooters are on your gift list or around your house, make sure to include helmets that are sized to your child’s head and other appropriate safety gear. And then, make sure your child wears the gear properly EVERY time he or she uses the toy or sports equipment.
3. Location, Location, Location: Be aware of your young child’s surroundings during play. Make sure you are watching your child around automobiles, swimming pools and ponds. Teach them to be cautious in those places. Even indoors, you need to keep a close eye on your young child around bathtubs, corded window coverings and in the kitchen.
Those dangers don’t end when your child goes to a friend’s house. As your children get older, teach them where and how to skateboard or ride their bikes and scooters safely. Talk with them about not riding a friend’s ATV unless they are trained to ride it or on the dangers of magnets and small suction cup darts.
4. Balloons: Throw away broken balloon pieces at once. And keep deflated balloons away from children younger than 8. Those balloons are a choking hazard.
5. Plastic Wrap: Keep a trash bag at your fingertips while your kids are opening their presents. That way, you can immediately throw away plastic wrappings and other toy packaging before they become dangerous play things. As an added bonus, it makes your cleanup faster, too.
 This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2010/11/toy-recalls-and-deaths-are-down-injuries-are-up-here%e2%80%99s-what-you-need-to-know/
By CPSC Blogger on November 15, 2010
Early this month, 5 children tragically died in a house fire in Florida. The St. Petersburg Times and other local media have reported that a space heater may have sparked the fire.
CPSC staff extends our condolences to the families, friends, and communities affected by the fire.
Sadly, this tragedy is also a reminder to anyone who uses space heaters to keep the following safety dos and don’ts in mind:
Do’s:
- Use a space heater that has been tested to the latest safety standards and has been certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. These heaters have the most up-to-date safety features. Older space heaters may not meet newer safety standards. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions for proper use.
- Place the heater on a level, hard, nonflammable surface, such as a ceramic tile floor.
- Keep the heater at least three feet away from bedding, drapes, furniture, and other flammable materials.
- Keep children and pets away from space heaters.
- Turn the heater off if you leave the area.
Don’ts:
- Never leave a space heater on when you go to sleep.
- Don’t place a space heater close to any sleeping person.
- Never use gasoline in a kerosene space heater, as even small amounts of gasoline mixed with kerosene can increase the risk of fire.
- Don’t use portable propane space heaters indoors or in any confined space unless they are specifically designed for indoor use.
Also, be sure to place smoke alarms on every level of your home, outside of sleeping areas and inside each bedroom. Guard against carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings as well by installing carbon monoxide alarms in your home. Make sure that your batteries in all alarms are fresh and working.
This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2010/11/space-heater-safety/
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