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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Recall: Safety 1st Cabinet Locks

By CPSC Blogger on March 23, 2012

Look closely at the locks you put on your cabinets to keep your children out. Do they look like this?

Recalled Safety 1st Push 'N Snap Cabinet Locks

If so, you should keep reading. The Safety 1st Push ‘N Snap Cabinet Locks are being recalled because young children can open the locks and get access to the cabinets.

Dorel Juvenile Group, the company that imports these locks, has received 200 reports of locks that did not adequately secure cabinets or were damaged. Three children who got into the cabinets swallowed or handled dishwasher detergent, window cleaner or oven cleaner and were observed and released from emergency treatment centers.

You can find detailed information on how to identify the recalled locks here.

Stop relying on these recalled locks to keep children out of cabinets immediately and contact the company at www.djgusa.com or toll-free at (866) 762-3212 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday for a free replacement lock. While you are waiting for a free replacement lock, immediately store dangerous items out of reach of children.

Similar Recalls:

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This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/03/recall-safety-1st-cabinet-locks/

50 años de prevención del envenenamiento

By CPSC Blogger on March 21, 2012

Torta 50a Aniversario1962 fue el año en que Sábado Gigante llegó a nuestras pantallas por primera vez. Sale al mercado la primera grabación del legendario grupo musical El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. Una docena de huevos costaba 32 centavos de dólar en Estados Unidos. Y 400 niños mueren por envenenamiento accidental.

Esta semana se celebra el 50º aniversario de la Semana Nacional de Prevención del Envenenamiento. Un aniversario de oro es momento de reflexión.

En los pasados 50 años, ¿cuáles han sido los logros más importantes en la prevención del envenenamiento?

Ha habido un disminución del 92% en la tasa de mortalidad infantil por envenenamiento en estas últimas cinco décadas. Hace 50 años, más de 400 niños morían por envenenamiento anualmente. Hoy mueren alrededor de 36 niños cada año.

niño abriendo medicamentos

Los centros de control del envenenamiento informan que los venenos más comunes son los cosméticos y productos del cuidado personal, los medicamentos para aliviar el dolor, y los productos de limpieza. Cada año, más de 4 millones de personas en los Estados Unidos llaman sin cargo a la línea de emergencia Poison Help hotline al (800) 222-1222. Y una docena de huevos cuesta en Estados Unidos alrededor de $2.50.

Tal vez el precio actual de los huevos no es razón para celebrar, pero sí lo son los logros alcanzados en la prevención del envenenamiento accidental.

іAyude a salvar vidas!  Vea este video y adopte las medidas de seguridad para proteger a sus seres queridos.

іFeliz aniversario a la Semana Nacional de Prevención del Envenenamiento!

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This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/03/50-anos-de-prevencion-del-envenenamiento/

50 Years of Preventing Poisoning

By CPSC Blogger on March 20, 2012

birthday cake with 50 candle1962 was the year that “The Beverly Hillbillies” first made it onto our TV screens. The Beatles released their first single. A dozen eggs cost 32 cents. And 400 children died each year from accidental poisoning.

This week is Poison Prevention Week’s 50th birthday. Like we often do on birthdays, it’s time to reflect on where we are today.

So — where are we?

In the past 50 years, there has been a 92 percent decline in child poisoning deaths. More than 400 children died each year from poisonings 50 years ago. Today, about 36 children die each year.  boy opening medicine bottles Poison control centers report that the most common poisons for children are cosmetics and personal care products, pain medicines and cleaning substances. More than 4 million Americans call a Poison Control Center on the national toll-free hotline (800) 222-1222 each year. And a dozen eggs costs about $2.50.

You might not think the price of eggs is worth celebrating, but the progress made in preventing unintentional poisoning definitely is.

Help us to do even better during the next 50 years. Take a look at these easy steps you can take to prevent unintentional child poisoning. Poison prevention starts with you.

Happy birthday, Poison Prevention Week!

To watch this video in Adobe Flash format, you may need to download the Adobe Flash player. You can also watch the video in Windows Media format.

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This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/03/50-years-of-preventing-poisoning/

Magnets Go In Easier Than They Come Out

By CPSC Blogger on March 15, 2012

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This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/03/magnets-go-in-easier-than-they-come-out/

One Year of Safer Products! Search, Report, Check for Recalls

By CPSC Blogger on March 8, 2012

One year! That’s how long it’s been since the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission launched SaferProducts.gov. This first year of the government’s consumer products safety information website has been the year of the empowered consumer.

Here’s what Year One has looked like:

So far, more than 6,600 of you have reported products to CPSC that caused harm or the potential to harm someone in and around your home. These reports are published and available for all consumers to see and use. More are published every day.

SaferProducts.gov is valuable to you because now there is a single place to visit to search for incident reports about products, file an incident report, or check for recall information. Before SaferProducts.gov, you would have had to file a Freedom of Information Act request about a specific product and manufacturer to learn about consumer product complaints received by CPSC. Now, you can search for this public information easily on the website.

About 36% of your reports involve kitchen products. Mostly, those involve electric ranges or ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, microwaves and coffee and tea pots. Here’s a list of the Top 10 reports to SaferProducts.gov:

Most Common SaferProducts.gov Reports by Product Type (as of March 1, 2012)
Product Reports to SaferProducts.gov Percent of Reports
Electric ranges or ovens(excl. countertop ovens) 638 9.7%
Dishwashers 440 6.7%
Footwear 293 4.5%
Refrigerators 277 4.2%
Microwave Ovens 190 2.9%
Light Bulbs 164 2.5%
Gas ranges and ovens 146 2.2%
Electric coffee makers or tea pots 144 2.2%
Cribs 134 2.0%
Non-metal cookware 114 1.7%

 

So, what’s next in Year Two of SaferProducts.gov? First, we want more consumers to learn about and use this valuable public resource. So, we’re launching a public service video campaign.  We hope these videos will make you laugh and make you more informed all at once. So, enjoy… and then share.

These videos will be posted on all of CPSC’s social media sites, including our YouTube page. You might see them in Facebook and Google ads, or even on your Facebook news stream if enough of you like them.

Second, we have been hard at work on a set of challenges for app developers. Over the next year, we will open a stream of the SaferProducts.gov information through a developer API. And then, we’re going to challenge software developers to become innovative with the information. Create mobile apps. Devise scanners that help people find and use SaferProducts.gov information from their phones. Build search tools so that when people search on the Web, they see SaferProducts.gov reports along with product reviews.

We hope you bookmark SaferProducts.gov, use the information to make your home and family safer, and tell your friends about the site, too.

March 17, 2012, Update: See the coverage of SaferProducts.gov’s anniversary on CPSC’s Storify page.

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This address for this post is: http://www.cpsc.gov/onsafety/2012/03/one-year-of-safer-products-search-report-check-for-recalls/

 
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