Consumer Product Safety Commission Tips

Changing Tables That Meet ADA Standards

The Koala Corporation provides a whole line of diaper changing table made to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) specifications. They come in many colors and styles to fit in almost any place. These tables can be found online, or by contacting the company directly.

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Get Active In Safety

Have you experienced an unsafe product or service? You can report these to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Consumers, Fire and police investigators as well as physicians and health care professionals can alert the CPSC to an injury, death, or unsafe product by filing a report on the CPSC website. Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers can also inform of a potentially defective or hazardous product. We all have the responsibility to chip in toward a safer life for everyone.

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Open Your Eyes To The Blinds

When considering consumer product safety, it's definitely a big help to know which items are safe.

But what about the products that are not safe?

When small children are in the home, basic window blinds can be a hazard. The concern is not so much the blinds themselves, but the inner and outer cords that hang loose. These could be twisted around a child's neck.

It's best to avoid window blinds in the house. If this is not possible, be sure to choose blinds that have safety tassels, and have tight inner cords.

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Basic Baby Safety Tips

Never place your baby's crib or furniture near window blind or curtain cords. This will prevent babies from strangling on the loop of the cord. To prevent burns, check bath water temperature with your wrist or elbow before putting your baby into the bath. Be sure to use safety straps in strollers and baby swings. Use your stove's back burners and keep pot handles turned to the back of the stove. Keep toddlers away from tablecloths, so they can't pull down hot foods or liquids on themselves.

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Your One-stop Resource For Child Safety

One of the most comprehensive resources for child safety is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC protects the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The Commission is devoted to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products -- such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals -- contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

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Is Your Child's Crib Safe?

Something as basic as the crib your baby sleeps in can be considered a safety product, depending, of course, on how well it is designed. Newer models of cribs are usually a safe bet, as they adhere to U.S. safety guidelines. However, old cribs can be hazardous. Before you put your baby to sleep in an older-style crib, check to be sure it has a firm, tight-fitting mattress. There should be no loose, missing, or broken hardware or slats, with no more than 2 3/8" between the slats (about the width of a soda can) No corner posts should be over 1/16" high, and there should be no cutout designs in the headboard or footboard.

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A Full Year of Child Safety Tips

It's never been easier to keep your child safe. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has worked in conjunction with childrenshealth.gov to offer a free downloadable child safety product calendar! Every day of the year is marked with an individual tip for child safety. The calendar is colorful and fun -- perfect for posting in the kitchen or anywhere in the house. This helpful calendar is a great way to educate you about the many ways to keep you child safe while teaching your children to take an active role in their own safety.

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Basic Home Safety Tips

Here are just a few basic home safety products and guidelines that will help protect your family. Use child-resistant packaging for medicines and hazardous household chemicals. Make sure your hairdryer has a large rectangular plug. The immersion protection device prevents electrocution if the hairdryer is dropped in water. Change the battery in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms when you change your clock's setting in October. Babies on adult beds risk suffocation from hidden hazards such as entrapment between the bed and wall; entrapment involving the bed frame, headboard and footboard; or soft bedding such as pillows or thick quilts and comforters. It's best to have them sleep in a crib that passes safety guidelines.

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Check The Safety of Your Cedar Chest

Cedar chests are a standby of our culture, used to preserve precious heirlooms. However, cedar chests can pose a danger to children. Certain older cedar chests have locks that can snap shut when a child has climbed inside. Consumers can determine whether their chest has an old lock by closing the chest lid without depressing the locking button and then attempting to open the lid without touching the button. Additionally, old locks click loudly when the lid is shut, locking the chest automatically. If your cedar chest was manufactured after 1987, it's a safe bet that the locks are safe, but test them to be certain.

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Recalls and Product Safety News

Keep up to date on the latest product recalls. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission provides information on over 4,000 product recalls and recall alerts. You can search by product type, company, or product description. Categories include children's products, household items, outdoor products, and more. Reports are updated monthly. Archives of past recalls reach as far back as 1973.

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