Hazards can be categorized by what the recalled product has the potential to do (e.g. collapse, cause a fire, cause an explosion or expel projectiles, cause a fall), or by the type of injury that could be caused (e.g. amputation, drowning, choking, laceration, poisoning, internal injury). This hazard lookup is a combination of these, depending upon the nature of the product. Recalled products may cause multiple consequences and injuries, so in such cases, we attempted to classify each product by the most severe outcome(s). Also, we separated out specific hazards that are of special interest (lead and carbon monoxide poisoning, and magnet ingestion). Products that, by failing, can lead to an injury because they fail to protect are categorized in the same manner. For example, a smoke alarm that fails would be listed under "Fire & Fire-Related Burn"; a bicycle helmet that doesn't meet appropriate standards would be listed under "Vehicle Accident".
Here are some notes on specific categories:
Amputation: includes products that can cause amputation, including finger amputations. Such products, of course, might cause lesser injuries as well. For example, a lawn mower that does not have a safety switch on the handle would be included here, as it could cause amputation as well as minor injuries.
Aspiration: includes products (small parts) that can be inhaled into the lungs. For products that lodge in a person's throat, see Choking.
Burn - Not Fire-Related: includes products that can cause chemical burns, burns from hot liquids (scalds), burns from overheated objects such a batteries and electrical appliances. If the recall states that a product can overheat, but does not mention fire, it is included here.
Carbon Monoxide (CO): includes incidents related to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, such as generators.
Choking: products posing this hazard to (in most cases) children; for example, where a product or part from a product (small part) can lodge in a child's throat.
Collapse: includes incidents where a product collapses, comes apart or detaches, such as furniture and TV stand tipovers, and fixtures such as lights and fans detaching and hitting consumers. If the collapse leads to a person falling, that would be categorized under "falls".
Drowning: where the product can specifically cause drowning, or where the failure of the product to protect from drowning can lead to that result.
Electrocution/Electric Shock: products that can cause these hazards, or fail to prevent such hazards if they do not operate properly.
Entrapment: where the failure of the product leads to a condition where the user is entrapped and cannot escape. This includes products that, by failing, cannot warn of the circumstance, such as a GPS device that fails and thus can't help rescuers find mountain climbers trapped by an avalanche.
Explosion/Projectiles: includes products that can explode or throw projectiles if the product fails.
Fall: includes incidents where the hazard is a fall by the consumer (not a fall of a product, which would be under "collapse"). However, in certain cases a product that could cause a fall or other hazard might be included in a more specific category, such as "vehicle accident". Includes ladders, baby walkers that can fall down stairs, climbing products.
Fire & Fire-Related Burn: includes products that can cause a fire and/or burn related to fire.
Internal Injury: includes products that can cause internal injuries that are not better classified in other categories. Includes products with small magnets, dive sticks, scuba products that by failing lead to rapid decompression, and products causing impact injuries.
Laceration: includes injuries to the skin, including abrasions, minor punctures, and cuts.
Lead: includes injuries related to lead and lead paint.
Magnet Ingestion: includes products with parts containing small magnets that can be ingested by young children; if two magnets are ingested and attract one another internally, serious injury or death can result.
Poisoning: includes all incidents of chemical and biological hazards except for lead and carbon monoxide, and includes ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. Lead and carbon monoxide (CO) are listed as separate categories.
Strangulation: products posing this hazard to (in most cases) children; for example, where a drawstring or cord can loop around a child's neck.
Suffocation: products posing this hazard to (in most cases) children; for example, where a material (e.g. pillow, mattress), because of a defect, can be positioned to cover a child's mouth. This category does not include drowning, which is listed separately.
Vehicle Accident: includes incidents where any injury, from laceration to death, can be caused if a rider loses control or crashes. Vehicles include all terrain vehicles (ATVs), snowmobiles, utility vehicles, bicycles, and scooters - that is, where the speed is great enough that losing control would cause injury.
