SAFETY TIPS FOR
HOLIDAY SHOPPERS
As the holiday season approaches, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns gift-givers to keep safety in mind when choosing toys for young children. CPSC received reports of 13toy-related deaths and over 141,000 children who were treated in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries.
"These deaths were not only tragedies, they were also preventable,"cautioned CPSC Chairman Ann Brown. "It's important for parents and caregivers to take the time to read age-appropriate labels when choosing toys.This information can save a child's life."
CPSC requires labels to be on all toys marketed for children from 3 years old up to 6 years old if the toys pose a choking hazard to children under age 3. These labels tell consumers two critical things: They let them know that a toy is not safe for younger children and why it is not safe. Before CPSC issued these labeling requirements, it was more difficult for consumers to know whether toys they bought for older children could be a danger to younger kids.
CPSC has the most stringent toy safety standards in the world, and toys onstore shelves are safe because of the day-to-day compliance work by CPSC. CPSC obtained 120 toy and children's product recalls involving more than 5.9 million product units to help prevent tragic injuries and deaths. CPSC recently topped the number of units recalled in all of the last fiscal year by obtaining one of the largest toy recalls in the agency's history. In October, CPSC and Fisher-Price recalled about 10 million Power Wheels Ride-On Battery-Powered Vehicles.
Consumers can help prevent toy-related injuries and deaths by alwaysreading labels and being safety conscious. The following tips will helpconsumers choose appropriate toys this holiday season and all year round:
- Select toys to suit the age, abilities, skills, and interest level of the intended child. Toys too advanced may pose safety hazards to younger children.
- For infants, toddlers, and all children who still mouth objects, avoid toys withsmall parts which could pose a fatal choking hazard.
- For all children under age 8, avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.
- Do not purchase electric toys with heating elements for children under age 8.
- Be a label reader. Look for labels that give age recommendations and use thatinformation as a guide.
- Look for sturdy construction, such as tightly secured eyes, noses, and otherpotential small parts.
- Check instructions for clarity. They should be clear to you, and when appropriate, to the child.
- Discard plastic wrappings on toys immediately, which can cause suffocation, before they become deadly playthings.
By using common sense and these safety suggestions, shoppers can make informed decisions when purchasing toys for children.
Safety Tips for Avoiding Fires and Injuries As the holidays approach, the U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging peopleto look for and eliminate potential dangers from holidaylights and decorations that could lead to fires and injuries.
Each year, hospital emergency rooms treat about 1,300 people for injuries related to holiday lights and 6,200people for injuries related to holiday decorations and Christmas trees. In addition, Christmas trees are involved in about 400 fires annually, resulting in 10 deaths, 80 injuries and an average of more than $15 million in property loss and damage each year.
CPSC Chairman Ann Brown said, "Decorating our homes forthe holidays is a beautiful tradition, and to ensure that this holiday season is a safe and happy one, CPSC is releasing the following safety tips."
Trees:
- When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label"Fire Resistant." Although this label does not mean the tree won't catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
- When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. Afresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break.The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when bounced on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
- When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces and radiators. Because heated rooms dry livetrees out rapidly, be sure to keep the stand filled withwater. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.
Lights:
- Indoors or outside, use only lights that have beentested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory.
- Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken orcracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections,and discard damaged sets.
- Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights persingle extension cord.
- Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, anda person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
- Fasten outdoor lights securely to trees, house walls,or other firm supports to protect the lights from wind damage. Use only insulated staples to hold strings in place,not nails or tacks. Or, run strings of lights through hooks (available at hardware stores).
- Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave thehouse. The lights could short out and start a fire.
- For added electric shock protection, plug outdoor electric lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable outdoor GFCIs can be purchased where electrical supplies are sold.GFCIs can be installed permanently to household circuits by a qualified electrician.
Decorations:
- Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles ofplastic or nonleaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children.
- Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
- In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to avoid the child swallowing or inhaling smallpieces, and avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child to eat them.
- Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while decorating with spun glass "angel hair." Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial snow sprays.
Fireplaces:
- Use care with "fire salts," which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children.
- Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flashfire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burnintensely.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from the unreasonable risk of injuryor death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous productor a product-related injury and for information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call CPSC's hotline at (800)638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To order apress release through fax-on-demand, call(301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter therelease number. Consumers can obtain thisrelease and recall information at CPSC's web site athttps://www.cpsc.gov. Consumers can report product hazards to info@cpsc.gov.Written by: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
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