New CPSC data highlights holiday-related risks, including unsafe toys, decorations and cooking fires

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As people nationwide prepare to celebrate the holidays, new data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) highlights the importance of taking safety precautions to avoid potential dangers associated with common holiday products and traditions. 

“Whether you’re shopping for gifts online or gathering for in-person or virtual holiday celebrations, it is important that everyone takes steps to keep holiday festivities safer,” said CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric. “Avoid a visit to the emergency-room this holiday season by following some simple safety guidelines.”

Unsafe toys, cooking fires, decorating, holiday trees and candles lead to thousands of injuries and deaths each year. People can celebrate more safely this holiday season by making a list of safety precautions and checking it twice. Here are the latest data and safety tips from CPSC:

TOYS 

Toy manufacturers and retailers are facing both supply-chain delays and global shipping issues, prompting concerns about a possible toy shortage. This could lead consumers to scramble to buy products wherever they can find them, and create room for unscrupulous sellers to sell dangerous or counterfeit products.  

• Toy-related injuries and deaths continue to impact thousands of children in the United States each year: CPSC reports that in 2020, there were nearly 150,000 toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries and nine deaths among children ages 14 and younger, with most of these deaths associated with choking on small parts of toys.
• Nonmotorized scooters account for 21 percent of all toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries: The number of injuries increased 17 percent in fiscal year 2021, from 35,600 scooter injuries reported in 2020, to 41,700 injuries reported in 2021. 

COOKING 

As people cook Thanksgiving Dinner, bake holiday treats, and share meals with family and friends, it is important to take safety precautions to avoid dangerous residential fires.

• Cooking fires remain the # 1 cause of residential fires. CPSC data show that there are about 360,000 home fires every year, leading to about 2,400 deaths and nearly 10,400 injuries each year.
   
• An average of 1,700 cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day each year, more than three times the average number of cooking fires on any other day of the year.
   
• Turkey fryers create particular risks. Since 1998, CPSC is aware of 222 fire or scald/burn incidents involving turkey fryers, resulting in 83 injuries and $9.7 million in property loss.

DECORATING 

Holiday decorations and celebrations are an annual tradition for many families. However, dry Christmas trees, burning candles, and holiday lights can pose a real hazard if not used and maintained properly. 

• On average, there are about 160 decorating-related injuries each day during the holiday season, with almost half of the incidents involving falls. In the 2019 holiday season, about 14,800 people were treated in emergency rooms due to holiday decorating-related injuries. In the 2019 holiday season, there have been no deaths associated with seasonal decorations.

• Dry Christmas trees and unattended candles can lead to dangerous fires. From 2016 to 2018, there were about 100 Christmas tree fires and about 1,100 candle fires in November and December each year, resulting in 30 deaths, 180 injuries, and nearly $56 million in property loss per year.
   

Follow these CPSC safety tips to keep your family safe this holiday season: 

Toys:

• Follow age guidance and other safety information on the toy packaging and choose toys that match each child's interests and abilities.
• Get safety gear, including helmets, for scooters and other riding toys – and make sure that children use them every time. 
• Keep small balls and toys with small parts away from children younger than age 3 and keep deflated balloons away from children younger than age 8. 

Online Shopping:

Online shopping for toys or other products continues to be a popular and convenient alternative to visiting brick and mortar stores, but particularly in a time of potential toy shortages, it is important that people follow these safety tips: 

• Always buy from stores and online retailers you know and trust.

• To avoid counterfeits, scrutinize the product, the packaging, and the label. If the price seems too good to be true, this could be a sign that the product is counterfeit.
• Look for a certification mark from an independent testing organization and the manufacturer’s label on electrical products.

Cooking: 

• Never leave cooking food unattended on the stove.

• Only fry a turkey outside and away from your home. 

Holiday Decorating:

• Make sure your live Christmas tree has plenty of water and look for the “Fire Resistant” label when buying an artificial tree.

• Place burning candles in sight, away from flammable items, and blow them out before leaving the room.

Visit CPSC’s Holiday Safety Information Center for more holiday safety tips, as well as a sharable Holiday Safety video, poster, and b-roll that simulates the serious risks posed by using a turkey fryer too close to the home, a dry Christmas tree, and burning candles near flammable items.   

New CPSC data highlights holiday-related risks, including unsafe toys, decorations and cooking fires

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As people nationwide prepare to celebrate the holidays, new data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) highlights the importance of taking safety precautions to avoid potential dangers associated with common holiday products and traditions. 

“Whether you’re shopping for gifts online or gathering for in-person or virtual holiday celebrations, it is important that everyone takes steps to keep holiday festivities safer,” said CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric. “Avoid a visit to the emergency-room this holiday season by following some simple safety guidelines.”

Unsafe toys, cooking fires, decorating, holiday trees and candles lead to thousands of injuries and deaths each year. People can celebrate more safely this holiday season by making a list of safety precautions and checking it twice. Here are the latest data and safety tips from CPSC:

TOYS 

Toy manufacturers and retailers are facing both supply-chain delays and global shipping issues, prompting concerns about a possible toy shortage. This could lead consumers to scramble to buy products wherever they can find them, and create room for unscrupulous sellers to sell dangerous or counterfeit products.  

• Toy-related injuries and deaths continue to impact thousands of children in the United States each year: CPSC reports that in 2020, there were nearly 150,000 toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries and nine deaths among children ages 14 and younger, with most of these deaths associated with choking on small parts of toys.
• Nonmotorized scooters account for 21 percent of all toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries: The number of injuries increased 17 percent in fiscal year 2021, from 35,600 scooter injuries reported in 2020, to 41,700 injuries reported in 2021. 

COOKING 

As people cook Thanksgiving Dinner, bake holiday treats, and share meals with family and friends, it is important to take safety precautions to avoid dangerous residential fires.

• Cooking fires remain the # 1 cause of residential fires. CPSC data show that there are about 360,000 home fires every year, leading to about 2,400 deaths and nearly 10,400 injuries each year.
   
• An average of 1,700 cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving Day each year, more than three times the average number of cooking fires on any other day of the year.
   
• Turkey fryers create particular risks. Since 1998, CPSC is aware of 222 fire or scald/burn incidents involving turkey fryers, resulting in 83 injuries and $9.7 million in property loss.

DECORATING 

Holiday decorations and celebrations are an annual tradition for many families. However, dry Christmas trees, burning candles, and holiday lights can pose a real hazard if not used and maintained properly. 

• On average, there are about 160 decorating-related injuries each day during the holiday season, with almost half of the incidents involving falls. In the 2019 holiday season, about 14,800 people were treated in emergency rooms due to holiday decorating-related injuries. In the 2019 holiday season, there have been no deaths associated with seasonal decorations.

• Dry Christmas trees and unattended candles can lead to dangerous fires. From 2016 to 2018, there were about 100 Christmas tree fires and about 1,100 candle fires in November and December each year, resulting in 30 deaths, 180 injuries, and nearly $56 million in property loss per year.
   

Follow these CPSC safety tips to keep your family safe this holiday season: 

Toys:

• Follow age guidance and other safety information on the toy packaging and choose toys that match each child's interests and abilities.
• Get safety gear, including helmets, for scooters and other riding toys – and make sure that children use them every time. 
• Keep small balls and toys with small parts away from children younger than age 3 and keep deflated balloons away from children younger than age 8. 

Online Shopping:

Online shopping for toys or other products continues to be a popular and convenient alternative to visiting brick and mortar stores, but particularly in a time of potential toy shortages, it is important that people follow these safety tips: 

• Always buy from stores and online retailers you know and trust.

• To avoid counterfeits, scrutinize the product, the packaging, and the label. If the price seems too good to be true, this could be a sign that the product is counterfeit.
• Look for a certification mark from an independent testing organization and the manufacturer’s label on electrical products.

Cooking: 

• Never leave cooking food unattended on the stove.

• Only fry a turkey outside and away from your home. 

Holiday Decorating:

• Make sure your live Christmas tree has plenty of water and look for the “Fire Resistant” label when buying an artificial tree.

• Place burning candles in sight, away from flammable items, and blow them out before leaving the room.

Visit CPSC’s Holiday Safety Information Center for more holiday safety tips, as well as a sharable Holiday Safety video, poster, and b-roll that simulates the serious risks posed by using a turkey fryer too close to the home, a dry Christmas tree, and burning candles near flammable items.   

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As consumers step up their use of e-scooters, hoverboards, and e-bikes to return to work, school and other activities, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds everyone to keep safety a priority.

According to advance data from a soon-to-be-released CPSC report on hazard patterns associated with micromobility products, injuries and deaths continue to rise, but data are certainly consistent with the notion that a lot of people staying home in 2020, led to a leveling off or slight reduction in scooter use.

Here’s what the latest data show:

• There were more than 190,000 emergency room (ED) visits due to all micromobility products from 2017 through 2020.  ED visits had a steady 70% increase from 34,000 (2017), 44,000 (2018), 54,800 (2019) to 57,800 (2020).
• Much of the increase between 2017 and later years was attributable to ED visits involving e-scooters, which rose three times as much, from 7,700 (2017), to 14,500 (2018), to 27,700 (2019) and 25,400 (2020).
• Injuries happened most frequently to upper and lower limbs, as well as the head and the neck.
• CPSC is aware of 71 fatalities associated with micromobility products from 2017 through 2020, although reporting is incomplete.

The hazards associated with micromobility products primarily fall into three broad areas: mechanical, electrical, and human factors. To address these hazards, CPSC staff continues to work with ASTM International and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to develop and make improvements to, voluntary standards. In support of these and other efforts, CPSC has done analyses of incident data and has done testing for the various hazards. CPSC also collaborates with federal partners and industry stakeholders to promote micromobility safety.

The best way to avoid injuries when using micromobility products: 

• Always make sure to wear a helmet. 
• Before riding an e-scooter, make sure to check it for any damage, which includes examining the handlebars, brakes, throttle, bell, lights, tires, cables and frame. Damage to the e-scooter can cause loss of control and lead to a crash. 

More life-saving tips can be found in CPSC’s e-scooter safety alert and safety PSA.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Holiday shopping deals are already here for big-ticket items like TVs and furniture. But each can lead to a dangerous tip-over incident causing an injury or fatality, most often (79 percent) involving children younger than six. That is why the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding holiday shoppers to add safety to the top of their shopping list.

TV and furniture tip-over incidents happen more often than many parents and caregivers realize. CPSC’s most recent annual report shows that during the period from 2017 through 2019, an average of 11,100 children were treated annually in hospital emergency rooms for tip-over-related injuries. Between 2000-2019, 469 children age 17 and under were killed by furniture and TV tip-overs. 

“Check CPSC’s website to make sure your furniture is not subject to a recall,” said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. “In addition, to reduce a tip-over risk and protect children, parents and caregivers should install anti-tip kits that can be found online or in a hardware store for any TVs or furniture that are not yet secured. Taking these steps now will allow families to have a safer holiday season.”

Installing TV and furniture anchoring kits is easy and does not require a person to be handy. Now consumers can follow these steps on CPSC’s Anchor It! website. In addition to anchoring, CPSC recommends that adults follow these safety tips for any home where children live or visit:

• Place TVs on a sturdy, low base, and push the TV back as far as possible, particularly if anchoring is not possible.
• Avoid displaying or storing items, such as toys and remotes, in places where kids might be tempted to climb up to reach for them.
• If purchasing a new TV, consider recycling older ones not currently in use.
• Keep TV and/or cable cords out of reach of children.

CPSC urges all furniture and TV manufacturers and retailers to make tip-over safety a prominent element of their product marketing. And when holiday shopping for children, CPSC reminds consumers to also check for toy recalls and follow age guidance and other safety information on the toy packaging.

For more information on how to anchor TVs and furniture, or about CPSC’s Anchor It! public awareness campaign, please visit www.Anchorit.gov. You can view the campaign’s safety video, “Even When You’re Watching,” here.

From holiday shopping to decorating and cooking, keep the holiday season safe for everyone by following CPSC’s safety tips at the Holiday Safety Education Center.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Holiday shopping deals are already here for big-ticket items like TVs and furniture. But each can lead to a dangerous tip-over incident causing an injury or fatality, most often (79 percent) involving children younger than six. That is why the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding holiday shoppers to add safety to the top of their shopping list.

TV and furniture tip-over incidents happen more often than many parents and caregivers realize. CPSC’s most recent annual report shows that during the period from 2017 through 2019, an average of 11,100 children were treated annually in hospital emergency rooms for tip-over-related injuries. Between 2000-2019, 469 children age 17 and under were killed by furniture and TV tip-overs. 

“Check CPSC’s website to make sure your furniture is not subject to a recall,” said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric. “In addition, to reduce a tip-over risk and protect children, parents and caregivers should install anti-tip kits that can be found online or in a hardware store for any TVs or furniture that are not yet secured. Taking these steps now will allow families to have a safer holiday season.”

Installing TV and furniture anchoring kits is easy and does not require a person to be handy. Now consumers can follow these steps on CPSC’s Anchor It! website. In addition to anchoring, CPSC recommends that adults follow these safety tips for any home where children live or visit:

• Place TVs on a sturdy, low base, and push the TV back as far as possible, particularly if anchoring is not possible.
• Avoid displaying or storing items, such as toys and remotes, in places where kids might be tempted to climb up to reach for them.
• If purchasing a new TV, consider recycling older ones not currently in use.
• Keep TV and/or cable cords out of reach of children.

CPSC urges all furniture and TV manufacturers and retailers to make tip-over safety a prominent element of their product marketing. And when holiday shopping for children, CPSC reminds consumers to also check for toy recalls and follow age guidance and other safety information on the toy packaging.

For more information on how to anchor TVs and furniture, or about CPSC’s Anchor It! public awareness campaign, please visit www.Anchorit.gov. You can view the campaign’s safety video, “Even When You’re Watching,” here.

From holiday shopping to decorating and cooking, keep the holiday season safe for everyone by following CPSC’s safety tips at the Holiday Safety Education Center.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Babies spend most of their time sleeping, so the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging parents and caregivers to get “back to basics” to make sure that baby’s sleep spaces are safe. CPSC’s new public service announcement focuses on three key reminders for safe sleep:  

1. Back to Sleep: Always place the baby to sleep on the baby’s back to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected infant death syndrome (SUID/SIDS) and suffocation;
2. Bare is Best: Always keep the baby’s sleep space bare (fitted sheet only) to prevent suffocation. Do not use pillows, padded crib bumpers, quilts or comforters; and 
3. Only place the baby to sleep in a product that is intended for sleep. Transfer the baby to a crib, bassinet, play yard or bedside sleeper if the baby falls asleep in a swing, bouncer, lounger or similar product. 

CPSC’s most recent report on nursery product injuries and deaths shows that cribs/mattresses, playpens/play yards, bassinets/cradles, infant carriers and inclined infant sleep products were associated with 83 percent of the fatalities reported. About one-third (32 percent) of infant and toddler fatalities were associated with cribs and/or mattresses, while bassinets/cradles, infant carriers and inclined sleep products, collectively, were associated with an additional one-third (32 percent) of fatalities. Most of these nursery product-related deaths are due to asphyxiation resulting from a cluttered or hazardous sleep environment. The sleep area is often cluttered with extra bedding, such as pillows, blankets, comforters and plush toys. 

Beginning in mid-2022, any product intended or marketed for infant sleep must meet a new federal safety standard. This new mandatory standard will effectively eliminate potentially hazardous sleep products in the marketplace that currently do not meet a CPSC mandatory standard for infant sleep, such as inclined sleepers, travel and compact bassinets and in-bed sleepers, which have been linked to dozens of infant deaths. Popular products formerly referred to as “inclined sleep products” include several styles that have been recalled over the years.

“Protecting babies and toddlers is among the most sacred of our obligations as Commissioners,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “We are dedicated to using all the tools at the agency’s disposal—education, enforcement and rulemaking—to ensure that when a product is intended or marketed for sleep, it will indeed be safe for an infant to sleep.”

The new federal safety rule incorporates the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International (ASTM F3118-17a, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Infant Inclined Sleep Products), with modifications to make the standard more stringent. The new standard requires that infant sleep products that do not already meet the requirements of an existing CPSC sleep standard now must be tested to confirm that the angle of the sleep surface is 10 degrees or lower, and that the products comply with the agency’s Safety Standard for Bassinets and Cradles.

For more tips on baby safety, recalled baby products and to view CPSC’s newest baby safety PSA, “Back to Basics,” visit CPSC’s Safe Sleep and Crib Safety Education Center here. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 7, 2021, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends marking the time change by replacing the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. With people spending more time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing furnaces, fireplaces, and other fuel-burning appliances to put in extra work, working smoke and CO alarms have never been more important.  

CPSC estimates an annual average of 362,000 unintentional residential fires, resulting in approximately 2,400 deaths, 10,400 injuries and $7 billion in property losses from 2016 through 2018.

Carbon monoxide is called the invisible killer, because you cannot see or smell it. Carbon monoxide poisoning can come from portable generators, home heating systems and other CO-producing appliances. The majority of CO deaths occur in the colder months of the year between November and February. 

More than 400 people die every year of CO poisoning, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

After replacing the batteries this year, check alarms every month to make sure they are working. Better yet, install alarms with 10-year sealed batteries that don’t need replacing for a decade. Create a fire escape plan, including two ways out of every room, and practice it. Check your home for other hidden hazards, using CPSC’s COVID-19 safety checklist.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding consumers to make safety a priority this Halloween when trick-or-treating, donning costumes, carving pumpkins and decorating.

Over the past three years, CPSC estimates that an annual average 3,600 Halloween-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments. Here’s how the injuries break down:

• 48% were related to pumpkin carving;
• 27% were due to falls while putting up or taking down decorations, tripping on costumes or walking while trick-or-treating;
• 25% of the injuries included lacerations, ingestions and other injuries associated with costumes, pumpkins or decorations, and allergic reactions or rashes. 

Among the injured, 56 percent were adults 18 years and over, 44 percent were under 18 years old, and about six percent of all injuries were to children two years old or younger.
 

Avoid injuries by following these CPSC safety tips:

Leave pumpkin carving to the adults. Child helpers can grab a spoon and scoop out the inside or use a marker to trace the design. 

Battery-operated lights or glow sticks are recommended for decorations and are the safest option. However, if using open-flame candles, keep them away from curtains, decorations and other combustibles that could catch fire. Never leave burning candles unattended.

Use a ladder when hanging or removing decorations, and only use lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory. Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires or loose connections. Discard damaged light sets.

Wear a costume that fits, and avoid overly long or baggy costumes to prevent trips and falls. Costumes with loose, flowing fabrics can also be a fire hazard when close to open flames. Costumes made of polyester or nylon fabric, and not sheer cotton or rayon fabric, reduce the hazard. However, any fabric can burn if it comes in contact with an open flame.

One last thing, be sure to follow the advice of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and your local jurisdiction. COVID-19 still lurks, so know when to wear a mask, not a Halloween costume mask, but a protective mask.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

October is National Window Covering Safety Month

WASHINGTON, D.C. – One of the most serious hazards in American homes is also one of its most hidden—window covering cords that entangle infants and children. As many across the country continue to work and learn from home due to COVID-19, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to choose cordless window coverings. Pull cords, continuous loop cords, inner cords or any other accessible cords on window coverings are dangerous to young children.

“Children have strangled to death on the cords of window blinds, shades, draperies and other window coverings, and this can happen in mere moments, even with an adult nearby,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “The safest option when young children are present is to go cordless.”

When children become entangled, strangulation can occur in less than a minute. Window cord strangulation is often silent, so parents or caregivers nearby may not realize that a tragedy is unfolding. On average, about nine children age 5 and younger die every year from strangulation in window blinds, shades, draperies and other window coverings with cords. In addition, there were nearly 200 incidents involving children up to 8 years old due to strangulation hazards on window covering cords from January 2009 through December 2020, according to CPSC data. Injuries varied from a scar around the neck, quadriplegia and permanent brain damage.

CPSC is advising consumers to buy and install cordless window coverings (labeled as cordless) in all rooms where a child may be present. Cordless products are available at most major retailers and online including inexpensive options. If consumers are unable to replace existing window coverings with cordless ones, CPSC recommends the following safety steps:

• Eliminate any dangling cords by making the pull cords as short as possible.
• Keep all window covering cords out of the reach of children.
• Ensure that cord stops are installed properly and adjusted to limit the movement of inner lift cords.
• Anchor to the floor or wall continuous-loop cords for draperies and blinds.
• Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window covering cords, preferably to another wall.

For more information, visit CPSC’s Window Covering Safety Education Center. 

CPSC staff is in the process of developing a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) on corded window coverings for Commission consideration.

October is National Window Covering Safety Month

WASHINGTON, D.C. – One of the most serious hazards in American homes is also one of its most hidden—window covering cords that entangle infants and children. As many across the country continue to work and learn from home due to COVID-19, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to choose cordless window coverings. Pull cords, continuous loop cords, inner cords or any other accessible cords on window coverings are dangerous to young children.

“Children have strangled to death on the cords of window blinds, shades, draperies and other window coverings, and this can happen in mere moments, even with an adult nearby,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “The safest option when young children are present is to go cordless.”

When children become entangled, strangulation can occur in less than a minute. Window cord strangulation is often silent, so parents or caregivers nearby may not realize that a tragedy is unfolding. On average, about nine children age 5 and younger die every year from strangulation in window blinds, shades, draperies and other window coverings with cords. In addition, there were nearly 200 incidents involving children up to 8 years old due to strangulation hazards on window covering cords from January 2009 through December 2020, according to CPSC data. Injuries varied from a scar around the neck, quadriplegia and permanent brain damage.

CPSC is advising consumers to buy and install cordless window coverings (labeled as cordless) in all rooms where a child may be present. Cordless products are available at most major retailers and online including inexpensive options. If consumers are unable to replace existing window coverings with cordless ones, CPSC recommends the following safety steps:

• Eliminate any dangling cords by making the pull cords as short as possible.
• Keep all window covering cords out of the reach of children.
• Ensure that cord stops are installed properly and adjusted to limit the movement of inner lift cords.
• Anchor to the floor or wall continuous-loop cords for draperies and blinds.
• Move all cribs, beds, furniture and toys away from windows and window covering cords, preferably to another wall.

For more information, visit CPSC’s Window Covering Safety Education Center. 

CPSC staff is in the process of developing a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) on corded window coverings for Commission consideration.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Knowing what to do if there’s a house fire can save lives. Fire Prevention Week is October 3 through 9, and CPSC and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) want to encourage everyone to listen to the sounds of safety from smoke and CO alarms. That means:

• When the alarm “beeps,” respond immediately and get out of the home as quickly as possible.
• When the alarm “chirps,” it’s time to change the batteries, or install a new alarm.
• If there is someone in the household who is deaf or hard of hearing, install bed shaker and strobe light alarms that will alert that person to fire danger.

Based on CPSC staff estimates for 2016 through 2018, there are about 360,000 home fires every year, leading to roughly 2,400 deaths. In addition, it is estimated that there are nearly 10,400 injuries per year. Research also shows that across all races, African Americans have the highest rate of fire deaths and injuries—nearly twice the overall death rate, and more than twice the overall injury rate. According to CPSC’s Residential Fire Loss Estimates report, although African Americans represent 13% of the population, they represent an estimated 24% of the home fire deaths and 27% of the home fire injuries.

“In light of this data, we must do better collectively, at state and local levels, to inform the public—and African Americans, in particular--about lifesaving, fire safety messaging,” says Acting CPSC Chairman Bob Adler. “One way to do this is to encourage local community leadership to implement outreach strategies that both communicate and encourage proactively these fire safety guidelines at home.”

CPSC urges everyone to plan and practice regularly these simple steps to have a fighting chance at avoiding injury and death when faced with a fire emergency.

• Create an escape plan. Make sure there are two ways out of each room, as well as a path to the outside from each exit.
• Make sure everyone in the home knows the plan and practices the plan.
• Pick a family meeting place outside.
• Once outside, stay outside.
• Call 911.
• Ensure that working smoke alarms are inside and outside of every sleeping area and on every level of the home.
• Make sure there are working CO alarms on every level of the home.
• Test all smoke and CO alarms monthly.
• Have working fire sprinklers.

Small children in the home, and the elderly will need additional assistance during a fire emergency. For more information, check out our multigenerational tool kit.

View CPSC’s fire safety PSA for older consumers here.

More fire safety tips and information are provided in our fire safety information center.

2020 Data Show 9 Deaths and Nearly 150,000 ER-Treated Injuries with Children’s Toys 

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Toy manufacturers are warning of potential supply-chain delays and global shipping issues due to COVID-19. Concerns about a possible toy shortage this holiday, are prompting many Americans to start their holiday shopping early. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is issuing its holiday toy buying tips early this year, urging shoppers to review these safety tips BEFORE hitting the stores in person, or shopping online.

A new report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that in 2020, there were nine deaths and more than 149,000 toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries to children ages 14 and younger. The majority of these injuries and deaths were associated with choking on small parts of toys.

The report also shows emergency department-treated injuries associated with the following items:

• toy balls: These were related to the most emergency department-treated injuries (8% or 11,400);
• building sets (7% or 9,900);   
• toy vehicles (4% or 6,200);
• non-motorized scooters: ER-injuries increased by 2.5 percent for children younger than 14, from about 35,600 in 2019, to about 36,500 injuries in 2020. 

CPSC recommends these simple safety tips before purchasing toys:

• Choose age-appropriate toys that match the child's interests and abilities. Always read and heed the label to determine whether a toy is age-appropriate for the child.
• Keep small balls, high-powered magnets, and toys with small parts or button batteries away from children younger than age 3.
• Keep deflated balloons away from children younger than 8 years old, and immediately discard balloons that won’t inflate, or have popped. 
• Get safety gear, including helmets for scooters and other riding toys. Helmets should be worn properly at all times and be sized to fit.
• Take note of safety warnings, information, and labels.

Online shopping continues to be popular, convenient, and a safe alternative this season. Adults should follow additional toy safety tips when shopping online:

• Always shop from stores and online retailers you know and trust.
• Look for a choking hazard warning or statements, especially when purchasing toys and games online that contain small parts, such as balls, marbles and balloons. 
• Check for additional safety information from online sellers, especially when shopping for kids. 
• To avoid counterfeits, scrutinize the product, the packaging and the label. If the price seems too good to be true, this could be a sign that the product is counterfeit.
• Look for a certification mark from an independent testing organization and the manufacturer’s label on electrical products.

Before purchasing a new or used toy, consumers should check that the toy has not been banned or recalled. This can easily be confirmed at www.cpsc.gov/recalls, or by downloading the free CPSC Recalls App on CPSC.gov. Whenever possible, register the toy with the company after purchase.

If a toy, or any other household product, appears to be dangerous or malfunctions, immediately stop using it, secure it in a safe location away from children, and report the safety issue to www.SaferProducts.gov. This can help reduce the risk of injury to other children. 

Regardless of when the 2021 holiday shopping season begins, CPSC urges manufacturers and consumers to put safety first, especially regarding children’s toys. 

2020 Data Show 9 Deaths and Nearly 150,000 ER-Treated Injuries with Children’s Toys 

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Toy manufacturers are warning of potential supply-chain delays and global shipping issues due to COVID-19. Concerns about a possible toy shortage this holiday, are prompting many Americans to start their holiday shopping early. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is issuing its holiday toy buying tips early this year, urging shoppers to review these safety tips BEFORE hitting the stores in person, or shopping online.

A new report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shows that in 2020, there were nine deaths and more than 149,000 toy-related, emergency department-treated injuries to children ages 14 and younger. The majority of these injuries and deaths were associated with choking on small parts of toys.

The report also shows emergency department-treated injuries associated with the following items:

• toy balls: These were related to the most emergency department-treated injuries (8% or 11,400);
• building sets (7% or 9,900);   
• toy vehicles (4% or 6,200);
• non-motorized scooters: ER-injuries increased by 2.5 percent for children younger than 14, from about 35,600 in 2019, to about 36,500 injuries in 2020. 

CPSC recommends these simple safety tips before purchasing toys:

• Choose age-appropriate toys that match the child's interests and abilities. Always read and heed the label to determine whether a toy is age-appropriate for the child.
• Keep small balls, high-powered magnets, and toys with small parts or button batteries away from children younger than age 3.
• Keep deflated balloons away from children younger than 8 years old, and immediately discard balloons that won’t inflate, or have popped. 
• Get safety gear, including helmets for scooters and other riding toys. Helmets should be worn properly at all times and be sized to fit.
• Take note of safety warnings, information, and labels.

Online shopping continues to be popular, convenient, and a safe alternative this season. Adults should follow additional toy safety tips when shopping online:

• Always shop from stores and online retailers you know and trust.
• Look for a choking hazard warning or statements, especially when purchasing toys and games online that contain small parts, such as balls, marbles and balloons. 
• Check for additional safety information from online sellers, especially when shopping for kids. 
• To avoid counterfeits, scrutinize the product, the packaging and the label. If the price seems too good to be true, this could be a sign that the product is counterfeit.
• Look for a certification mark from an independent testing organization and the manufacturer’s label on electrical products.

Before purchasing a new or used toy, consumers should check that the toy has not been banned or recalled. This can easily be confirmed at www.cpsc.gov/recalls, or by downloading the free CPSC Recalls App on CPSC.gov. Whenever possible, register the toy with the company after purchase.

If a toy, or any other household product, appears to be dangerous or malfunctions, immediately stop using it, secure it in a safe location away from children, and report the safety issue to www.SaferProducts.gov. This can help reduce the risk of injury to other children. 

Regardless of when the 2021 holiday shopping season begins, CPSC urges manufacturers and consumers to put safety first, especially regarding children’s toys. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an unprecedented initiative by the three product safety agencies of North America, technical staff of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health Canada, and Mexico’s Consumer Protection Federal Agency (PROFECO) have developed consensus recommendations to improve test methods for ensuring the safety of alternating current (AC) chargers and universal serial bus (USB) chargers.

In joint tri-lateral letters to the standards development organizations in the three jurisdictions, the product safety agencies recommended new testing to assess the potential for fire and burn hazards caused by AC-powered chargers for small electronic devices.  This collaboration represents the first example of a joint consumer product safety standard recommendation developed among multiple governments that are not members of a single administrative region.

The joint letters conclude a multi-year project under the three agencies’ “Early Consultation Initiative.” The stated goal of the Early Consultation Initiative was to foster closer alignment of consumer product safety requirements through technical consultations. The strategy was to seek consensus approaches to consumer product hazards not yet being addressed through formal regulatory or standards work.

In the joint letters to U.S.-based Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL), Canada-based CSA group, and the Mexican government’s Directorate General of Standards (DGN), staff cited numerous incidents of injuries.  These included burns from contact with hot surfaces on an electronic device, or the charger itself; fires and explosions that initiated within the charger, or in one of the cords attached to the charger; and electric shock injuries from user-contact with an exposed energized conductor when the charger housing is breached by melting, or when the housing breaks apart.  Incidents also included lithium-ion battery fires as a result of improper charging. The letters noted that incidents are more prevalent when an AC charger or USB charger has not been evaluated and certified by a third party testing facility.  The trilateral team examined incident data and analyzed existing voluntary standards before proposing new testing procedures and requesting that standards developers add the tests to their current standards.

“This initiative has proven, at least on a small scale, that multiple jurisdictions can develop consensus recommendations to improve voluntary safety standards, if they consult early and compare data and experience,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. “We are very hopeful this will provide a template for future initiatives.”   Buerkle added that a second round of the Early Consultation Initiative will be underway during 2019.

Consensus Paper - Trilateral Investigation into the Safety Hazards Associated with AC and USB Chargers (also called Adapters)

CPSC Test Report - Early Consultation Initiative AC and USB Chargers Testing Procedures

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Babies spend most of their time sleeping, so the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging parents and caregivers to get “back to basics” to make sure that baby’s sleep spaces are safe. CPSC’s new public service announcement focuses on three key reminders for safe sleep:  

1. Back to Sleep: Always place the baby to sleep on the baby’s back to reduce the risk of sudden unexpected infant death syndrome (SUID/SIDS) and suffocation;
2. Bare is Best: Always keep the baby’s sleep space bare (fitted sheet only) to prevent suffocation. Do not use pillows, padded crib bumpers, quilts or comforters; and 
3. Only place the baby to sleep in a product that is intended for sleep. Transfer the baby to a crib, bassinet, play yard or bedside sleeper if the baby falls asleep in a swing, bouncer, lounger or similar product. 

CPSC’s most recent report on nursery product injuries and deaths shows that cribs/mattresses, playpens/play yards, bassinets/cradles, infant carriers and inclined infant sleep products were associated with 83 percent of the fatalities reported. About one-third (32 percent) of infant and toddler fatalities were associated with cribs and/or mattresses, while bassinets/cradles, infant carriers and inclined sleep products, collectively, were associated with an additional one-third (32 percent) of fatalities. Most of these nursery product-related deaths are due to asphyxiation resulting from a cluttered or hazardous sleep environment. The sleep area is often cluttered with extra bedding, such as pillows, blankets, comforters and plush toys. 

Beginning in mid-2022, any product intended or marketed for infant sleep must meet a new federal safety standard. This new mandatory standard will effectively eliminate potentially hazardous sleep products in the marketplace that currently do not meet a CPSC mandatory standard for infant sleep, such as inclined sleepers, travel and compact bassinets and in-bed sleepers, which have been linked to dozens of infant deaths. Popular products formerly referred to as “inclined sleep products” include several styles that have been recalled over the years.

“Protecting babies and toddlers is among the most sacred of our obligations as Commissioners,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “We are dedicated to using all the tools at the agency’s disposal—education, enforcement and rulemaking—to ensure that when a product is intended or marketed for sleep, it will indeed be safe for an infant to sleep.”

The new federal safety rule incorporates the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International (ASTM F3118-17a, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Infant Inclined Sleep Products), with modifications to make the standard more stringent. The new standard requires that infant sleep products that do not already meet the requirements of an existing CPSC sleep standard now must be tested to confirm that the angle of the sleep surface is 10 degrees or lower, and that the products comply with the agency’s Safety Standard for Bassinets and Cradles.

For more tips on baby safety, recalled baby products and to view CPSC’s newest baby safety PSA, “Back to Basics,” visit CPSC’s Safe Sleep and Crib Safety Education Center here. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Tropical Storm Nicholas threatens the Gulf Coast, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to be prepared for power outages and to take steps now to keep their families safe. 

Loss of Power—Using a Generator Safely

Consumers need to be especially careful during a loss of electrical power.  Many use portable generators and other devices for sources of power and heat, exposing themselves to increased risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and fire. Consumers who plan to use a portable generator in the case of a power loss should follow these tips:

• Operate portable generators outside only, at least 20 feet away from the house, and direct the generator’s exhaust away from the home and any other buildings that someone could enter.  
• Never operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed, or on the porch. Opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO. 
• Check that portable generators have had proper maintenance, and read and follow the labels, instructions, and warnings on the generator and in the owner’s manual.
• CPSC urges consumers to look for and ask retailers for a portable generator equipped with a safety feature to shut off automatically when certain CO concentrations are present.  

Poisonous carbon monoxide from a portable generator can kill in minutes. CO is an invisible killer. It’s colorless and odorless. According to the CDC, more than 400 people die each year in the United States from CO poisoning. CPSC estimates about 78 consumers die each year from CO poisoning caused by portable generators. CO poisoning from portable generators can happen so quickly that exposed persons may become unconscious before recognizing the symptoms of nausea, dizziness, or weakness.

 To help avoid carbon monoxide poisoning:

• Install battery-operated CO alarms or CO alarms with battery backup at home, outside separate sleeping areas, and on each floor of your home.
• Make sure CO alarms at home are working properly, by pressing the test button and replacing batteries, if needed. Never ignore a carbon monoxide alarm when it sounds. Get outside immediately. Then call 911.

Dangers with Charcoal and Candles

• Never use charcoal indoors. Burning charcoal in an enclosed space can produce lethal levels of carbon monoxide. Do not cook on a charcoal grill in a garage, even with the door open.
• Use caution when burning candles. Use flashlights instead. If using candles, do not burn them on or near anything that can catch fire. Never leave burning candles unattended. Extinguish candles when leaving the room and before sleeping.
• Make sure smoke alarms are installed on every level of the house and inside each bedroom. Never ignore a ringing smoke alarm. Get outside immediately. Call 911.

If the storm causes flooding:

• Look for signs that your appliances have gotten wet. Discard unplugged electrical or gas appliances that have been wet, because they pose electric shock and fire hazards. Do not touch electrical or gas appliances that are still plugged in.
• Before using your appliances, have a professional or your gas or electric company evaluate your home, and replace all gas control valves, electrical wiring, circuit breakers, and fuses that have been under water.

If the storm causes gas leaks:

• Smell or hear gas? Do not turn lights on or off, or use electrical equipment, including a phone. Leave the home and contact local gas authorities from outside.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said that you may need to adjust any preparedness actions, based on the latest health and safety guidelines from the CDC and local officials.  

Remember, it only takes one storm to wreak havoc, causing mass destruction and loss of life.  Be informed, be prepared, and be safe!

CPSC resources:

Carbon Monoxide Safety Center

Links to broadcast quality video for media: 

Hurricane Safety b-roll: https://spaces.hightail.com/space/XtFQ7YqK0x

Flood safety b-roll:  https://spaces.hightail.com/space/thCBWTX157

For more information, contact Nicolette Nye at nnye@cpsc.gov or at 240-204-4410. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As schools reopen this fall and kids head back to the classroom, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and students to “Think Safety First.”  Every year, thousands of children are injured on playgrounds, while playing sports, or as they walk, bike, skateboard or scooter to and from school.

Prevent injuries and illness before they happen by following these safety tips when heading back to school:

Mask Up:

• Safety Tip: To stay safe from COVID-19, follow local, state and federal guidance on face mask wearing at school.

Distracted Walking: 

• Safety Tip: Don’t text or talk on the phone while walking. Distracted walking can be dangerous, especially near traffic and crosswalks.
• For the two-year period from 2019 to 2020, there were an estimated 4,600 emergency room-treated injuries associated with walking while distracted on the phone.

Bicycles:

• Safety Tip: Wear a helmet when biking, skateboarding, or riding a scooter to school, or while playing sports.
• From fractures to contusions and lacerations, there were an estimated annual average of 144,100 emergency room-treated bicycle injuries from 2017 to 2019, to children under 16 years old.

Playgrounds:

• Safety Tip: Leave necklaces and clothing with drawstrings at home to reduce strangulation hazards. Check for “S” hooks, protruding bolt ends, and sharp points or edges on playground equipment. Don’t play on slides or other surfaces that are burning hot. Check that the playground has good impact surfacing such as nine inches of mulch/wood chips.
• Each year, more than 206,700 injuries to children under the age of 16 occur on playgrounds. CPSC has investigated 43 deaths associated with playground equipment that happened since 2014.

Backpacks:

• Safety Tip: Lighten the load! Make sure backpacks for students are not too heavy.
• Heavy backpacks can hurt young backs! From 2017 to 2019, an estimated annual average of 7,500 kids under 19 years old were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to backpacks.

Movable Soccer Goal Deaths and Injuries:

• Safety Tip: Make sure movable soccer goals are anchored securely!
• CPSC is aware of 12 reported fatalities involving children under the age of 16, which occurred between 2000 and 2019, due to soccer goal tip overs or structural failure. From 2000 to 2019, there were about 3,400 emergency room-treated soccer goal tip over- or structural failure-related injuries involving children under the age of 16.

Chemistry Classroom Experiments:

• Safety Tip: Don’t get burned by science! Parents: Attend back-to-school night, or contact the teacher and ask about precautions that will be taken during experiments using fuel and flames.
• To minimize the risk of injuries to students from flame jetting--a sudden and possibly violent flash fire that can occur when pouring flammable liquids from a container over an exposed flame or other ignition source--schools and teachers should:
  • Conduct a hazard analysis and take proper precautions.
  • Consider safer demonstrations, such as a flame test.
  • If pouring flammable liquids, use the smallest beakers possible, and keep larger containers out of the classroom. Do not use flasks.

Don’t become a statistic! “Think Safety First” when heading back to school.

Related poster:

NSN Poster: Think Safety First as Kids Head Back to School

For more information, contact Nicolette Nye at nnye@cpsc.gov or at 240-204-4410.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Consumer Protection Federal Agency of Mexico (PROFECO), and the Department of Health Canada (Health Canada) remain committed to our collaboration and to the common goal of protecting the consumers of North America.

On May 3rd and 4th, 2018, the product safety regulators held the Fourth North America Consumer Product Safety Summit in Bethesda, Maryland to take stock of the accomplishments in recent years, gather input from a wide range of stakeholders, identify areas for joint work in product safety, and develop a path forward for future collaboration.  Regulators will build upon the achievements to date and explore new areas for cooperation under the new trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of March 2018.

In 2011 the regulators held the first North America Product Safety Summit in Bethesda, Maryland, followed by the 2013 Summit in Ottawa and the 2015 Summit in Mexico. The regulators see the continuation of this collaboration as an essential aspect of addressing consumer product safety issues in today’s economies. The rise of online and direct-to-consumer sales has blurred traditional borders and has enabled consumers to access an ever-increasing variety of consumer products. Innovative products and the ways in which consumers interact with them are changing the way regulators approach consumer product safety. As such, trilateral cooperation remains an essential tool to meeting the challenges of today’s marketplace.  

The 2018 Summit focused on the product safety challenges presented by e-commerce and high energy batteries (e.g., lithium-ion), and gave regulators a chance to hear from North American stakeholders on consumer product safety matters of interest to them.

Staff from the three agencies will develop activities based consensus generated during the summit, as well as the priority areas of cooperation as outlined in the recently signed MOU, including:

1. developing further the regulators’ joint capacity to engage in cross-border product safety and customs cooperation in order to prevent trade in hazardous products within North America;
2. creating joint outreach activities to promote consumer awareness;
3. participating in joint industry outreach activities to conduct training on product safety requirements in North America;
4. promoting collaboration across different technical areas including laboratory sciences, risk identification, and compliance;
5. working together and with industry to issue joint recalls when the regulators mutually decide it is appropriate;
6. holding technical consultations on consumer product hazards; 
7. where authorized by each regulator’s national laws, sharing best practices related to compliance and enforcement, risk assessments of consumer products, and the identification of new and emerging issues of concern;
8. sharing updates or proposed changes to relevant legislation, regulations, safety standards, and conformity assessment procedures, to the extent possible;
9. holding technical staff exchange programs on issues of mutual interest; and,
10. holding joint working group meetings on issues of mutual interest.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Tropical Depression Ida continues on its path of destruction through the Gulf states and barrels northeast toward the mid-Atlantic region, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to be prepared for power outages and to take steps now to keep their families safe. 

Before the Storm

Consumers need to be especially careful during a loss of electrical power.  Many use portable generators and other devices for sources of power and heat, exposing themselves to increased risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and fire. If you plan to use a portable generator in the case of a power loss, follow these tips to prepare before the storm:

• Make sure CO and smoke alarms in your home are working properly, by pressing the test button and replacing batteries, if needed.         

• Install battery-operated CO alarms or CO alarms with battery backup in your home, outside separate sleeping areas, and on each floor of your home.

• Check that your generator has had proper maintenance, and read and follow the labels, instructions, and warnings on the generator and in the owner’s manual.

Poisonous carbon monoxide from a portable generator can kill you and your family in minutes. CO is an invisible killer. It’s colorless and odorless. According to the CDC, more than 400 people die each year in the United States from CO poisoning. CPSC estimates about 78 consumers die each year from CO poisoning caused by portable generators. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said that you may need to adjust any preparedness actions, based on the latest health and safety guidelines from the CDC and your local officials during the COVID-19 pandemic.   

After the Storm

The storm has hit, and the power is out. Now what? Follow these life-saving tips:

• Operate portable generators outside only, at least 20 feet away from the house; and direct the generator’s exhaust away from the home and any other buildings that someone could enter.  

• Never operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed, or on the porch. Opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO. 

• Never ignore a carbon monoxide alarm when it sounds. Get outside immediately. Then call 911.  

• CO poisoning from portable generators can happen so quickly that exposed persons may become unconscious before recognizing the symptoms of nausea, dizziness, or weakness.

Other product safety hazards during hurricane season include:

CHARCOAL DANGER: 

- Never use charcoal indoors. Burning charcoal in an enclosed space can produce lethal levels of carbon monoxide. Do not cook on a charcoal grill in a garage, even with the door open.

CANDLES:

- Use caution when burning candles. Use flashlights instead. If you must use candles, do not burn them on or near anything that can catch fire. Never leave burning candles unattended. Extinguish candles when you leave the room and before sleeping.

WET APPLIANCES:

- Look for signs that your appliances have gotten wet. Discard unplugged electrical or gas appliances that have been wet, because they pose electric shock and fire hazards. Do not touch electrical or gas appliances that are still plugged in.

- Before using your appliances, have a professional or your gas or electric company evaluate your home and replace all gas control valves, electrical wiring, circuit breakers, and fuses that have been under water.

GAS LEAKS: IF YOU SMELL IT, EVACUATE AND REPORT IT.

If you smell or hear gas, do not turn lights on or off, or use electrical equipment, including a phone. Leave your home and contact local gas authorities from outside.

In Case of Evacuation/COVID-19 Concerns

• If you must evacuate, the CDC recommends having additional items on hand, such as cloth face coverings, hand sanitizer, and cleaning products to help prevent the spread of viruses at the shelter. CPSC also reminds consumers to keep all cleaning products and medications out of reach of children, and keep these items in their original child-resistant containers at your evacuation site.

Remember, it only takes one storm to wreak havoc, causing mass destruction and loss of life.  Be informed, be prepared, and be safe!

CPSC resources:

Carbon Monoxide Safety Center

Links to broadcast quality video for media: 

Flood safety b-roll:  https://spaces.hightail.com/space/thCBWTX157

For more information, contact Nicolette Nye at nnye@cpsc.gov or at 240-204-4410. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Hurricane Ida threatens several states, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to be prepared for power outages and to take steps now to keep their families safe.

Before the Storm

Consumers need to be especially careful during a loss of electrical power.  Many use portable generators and other devices for sources of power and heat, exposing themselves to increased risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and fire. If you plan to use a portable generator in the case of a power loss, follow these tips to prepare before the storm:

• Make sure CO and smoke alarms in your home are working properly, by pressing the test button and replacing batteries, if needed.         
• Install battery-operated CO alarms or CO alarms with battery backup in your home, outside separate sleeping areas, and on each floor of your home.
• Check that your generator has had proper maintenance, and read and follow the labels, instructions, and warnings on the generator and in the owner’s manual.

Poisonous carbon monoxide from a portable generator can kill you and your family in minutes. CO is an invisible killer. It’s colorless and odorless. According to the CDC, more than 400 people die each year in the United States from CO poisoning. CPSC estimates about 78 consumers die each year from CO poisoning caused by portable generators.

After the Storm

The storm has hit, and the power is out. Now what? Follow these life-saving tips:

• Operate portable generators outside only, at least 20 feet away from the house; and direct the generator’s exhaust away from the home and any other buildings that someone could enter.  
• Never operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed, or on the porch. Opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO.
• Never ignore a carbon monoxide alarm when it sounds. Get outside immediately. Then call 911. 
• CO poisoning from portable generators can happen so quickly that exposed persons may become unconscious before recognizing the symptoms of nausea, dizziness, or weakness.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said that you may need to adjust any preparedness actions, based on the latest health and safety guidelines from the CDC and your local officials. 

Other product safety hazards during hurricane season include:

CHARCOAL DANGER:

- Never use charcoal indoors. Burning charcoal in an enclosed space can produce lethal levels of carbon monoxide. Do not cook on a charcoal grill in a garage, even with the door open.

CANDLES:

- Use caution when burning candles. Use flashlights instead. If you must use candles, do not burn them on or near anything that can catch fire. Never leave burning candles unattended. Extinguish candles when you leave the room and before sleeping.

WET APPLIANCES:

- Look for signs that your appliances have gotten wet. Discard unplugged electrical or gas appliances that have been wet, because they pose electric shock and fire hazards. Do not touch electrical or gas appliances that are still plugged in.

- Before using your appliances, have a professional or your gas or electric company evaluate your home and replace all gas control valves, electrical wiring, circuit breakers, and fuses that have been under water.

GAS LEAKS: IF YOU SMELL IT, EVACUATE AND REPORT IT.

If you smell or hear gas, do not turn lights on or off, or use electrical equipment, including a phone. Leave your home and contact local gas authorities from outside.

In Case of Evacuation/COVID-19 Concerns:

• If you must evacuate, the CDC recommends having additional items on hand, such as cloth face coverings, hand sanitizer, and cleaning products to help prevent the spread of viruses at the shelter. CPSC also reminds consumers to keep all cleaning products and medications out of reach of children, and keep these items in their original child-resistant containers at your evacuation site.

Remember, it only takes one storm to wreak havoc, causing mass destruction and loss of life.  Be informed, be prepared, and be safe!

CPSC resources:

Carbon Monoxide Safety Center

NSN Poster – Safety in the Storm, When Hurricanes Happen

PSA - Hurricane Season is in Full Swing

Links to broadcast quality video for media:

Hurricane Safety b-roll: https://spaces.hightail.com/space/XtFQ7YqK0x

Flood safety b-roll:  https://spaces.hightail.com/space/thCBWTX157

For more information, contact Nicolette Nye at nnye@cpsc.gov or at 240-204-4410.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As schools reopen this fall and kids head back to the classroom, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and students to “Think Safety First.”  Every year, thousands of children are injured on playgrounds, while playing sports, or as they walk, bike, skateboard or scooter to and from school.

Prevent injuries and illness before they happen by following these safety tips when heading back to school:

Mask Up:

• Safety Tip: To stay safe from COVID-19, follow local, state and federal guidance on face mask wearing at school.

Distracted Walking: 

• Safety Tip: Don’t text or talk on the phone while walking. Distracted walking can be dangerous, especially near traffic and crosswalks.
• For the two-year period from 2019 to 2020, there were an estimated 4,600 emergency room-treated injuries associated with walking while distracted on the phone.

Bicycles:

• Safety Tip: Wear a helmet when biking, skateboarding, or riding a scooter to school, or while playing sports.
• From fractures to contusions and lacerations, there were an estimated annual average of 144,100 emergency room-treated bicycle injuries from 2017 to 2019, to children under 16 years old.

Playgrounds:

• Safety Tip: Leave necklaces and clothing with drawstrings at home to reduce strangulation hazards. Check for “S” hooks, protruding bolt ends, and sharp points or edges on playground equipment. Don’t play on slides or other surfaces that are burning hot. Check that the playground has good impact surfacing such as nine inches of mulch/wood chips.
• Each year, more than 206,700 injuries to children under the age of 16 occur on playgrounds. CPSC has investigated 43 deaths associated with playground equipment that happened since 2014.

Backpacks:

• Safety Tip: Lighten the load! Make sure backpacks for students are not too heavy.
• Heavy backpacks can hurt young backs! From 2017 to 2019, an estimated annual average of 7,500 kids under 19 years old were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to backpacks.

Movable Soccer Goal Deaths and Injuries:

• Safety Tip: Make sure movable soccer goals are anchored securely!
• CPSC is aware of 12 reported fatalities involving children under the age of 16, which occurred between 2000 and 2019, due to soccer goal tip overs or structural failure. From 2000 to 2019, there were about 3,400 emergency room-treated soccer goal tip over- or structural failure-related injuries involving children under the age of 16.

Chemistry Classroom Experiments:

• Safety Tip: Don’t get burned by science! Parents: Attend back-to-school night, or contact the teacher and ask about precautions that will be taken during experiments using fuel and flames.
• To minimize the risk of injuries to students from flame jetting--a sudden and possibly violent flash fire that can occur when pouring flammable liquids from a container over an exposed flame or other ignition source--schools and teachers should:
  • Conduct a hazard analysis and take proper precautions.
  • Consider safer demonstrations, such as a flame test.
  • If pouring flammable liquids, use the smallest beakers possible, and keep larger containers out of the classroom. Do not use flasks.

Don’t become a statistic! “Think Safety First” when heading back to school.

Related poster:

NSN Poster: Think Safety First as Kids Head Back to School

For more information, contact Nicolette Nye at nnye@cpsc.gov or at 240-204-4410.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Waupaca Elevator Company, of Appleton, Wis., are reannouncing a 2018 recall and warning consumers not to use  recalled Waupaca elevators until an overspeed safety device is installed by a local dealer. There have been incidents reported of the elevators falling unexpectedly without the overspeed safety device installed, including one resulting in a death.  

Consumers should not use the recalled elevators until the overspeed safety device is installed. Waupaca and its dealers have an extensive backlog of overspeed safety device installations, which may take several years to complete.

The elevators were recalled in October 2018 because the elevator cab can fall unexpectedly to the bottom of the elevator shaft and stop abruptly, posing an injury hazard to consumers inside the elevator cab. As part of the 2018 recall, Waupaca agreed to provide consumers with a free gearbox inspection and to install a free overspeed safety device, and a free gearbox, if the oil sample test shows an elevated level of wear in the oil.  

Waupaca has received 15 reports of the elevator cab falling unexpectedly, including three incidents since the 2018 recall announcement. Two of the incidents involved elevators that had oil samples taken, but that had not received the overspeed safety device. Until an overspeed safety device is installed, all elevators should be placed out of service. Many of those incidents allegedly caused by the defect in the elevator gearbox resulted in injuries. In one of those incidents a consumer in Milbrae, Cal. died. The incident occurred in August 2018. Other injuries caused by elevators falling include broken bones and strained or sprained knees and ankles.

The recalled elevators are Custom Lift 450# and 500# Capacity elevators sold by Waupaca Elevator's dealers nationwide from 1979 through 2008, for between $5,000 and $14,000.

Contact Waupaca Elevator toll-free at 833-850-7981 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, via e-mail at info@WaupacaElevator.com, or online at www.waupacaelevator.com and click on the “Safety” link for more information. 

Consumers should report any incidents to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov or to CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Following another report of a tragic death of a young child in a residential elevator, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Robert Adler today asked the vacation rental community for help. In a letter to vacation rental platforms, AirBnB, Vrbo, and others, Adler urged the companies to take steps immediately to protect vulnerable consumers.

“The agency is taking steps with the manufacturers, but we need the businesses that facilitate vacation rentals to join us,” said Adler. “These injuries and deaths are horrific, and we need property owners and rental agencies to disable elevators immediately until they have been inspected.”

Residential elevators pose a hidden and deadly hazard: small children can be crushed to death in a gap that may exist between the doors.  If the gap between any exterior (i.e., hoistway) door, and the farthest point of the inner door (which is often an accordion door) is too deep, a child can enter and close the hoistway door without opening the interior car door, and become entrapped between the two doors, resulting in serious injuries or death when the elevator car moves. Children, some as young as two, and as old as 12, have been crushed to death in this gap, suffering multiple skull fractures, fractured vertebrae and traumatic asphyxia. Other children have suffered devastating and lifelong injuries. Last week, a 7-year-old child was reported to have tragically died in a vacation home elevator in North Carolina.

Today’s letter is the first time the agency has publicly called on vacation rental businesses to take immediate action. Specifically, the letter asks rental companies to notify all renters immediately about the potential hazard via email, or in a warning box on their reservation or booking pages; immediately require all members or “hosts” using the platforms to lock outer access doors or otherwise disable the elevators in their properties, unless and until those members provide proof of an inspection, certifying that no hazardous gap exists; and require elevator inspections of anyone posting a listing going forward.

CPSC has issued warnings, recalls and a lawsuit concerning residential elevators.

• CPSC Sues thyssenkrupp Access Corp., July 7, 2021 CPSC Sues thyssenkrupp Access Corp. Over Deadly Gap Hazard in Residential Elevators; Action Prompted by Three Incidents: One Child Died, Another Permanently Disabled, and a Third Hospitalized After Becoming Entrapped | CPSC.gov
• Otis Elevator Company Residential Elevators, December 17, 2020 https://cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/otis-elevator-company-recalls-to-inspect-private-residence-elevators-due-to-entrapment.
• Cambridge Elevating Home Elevators, March 27, 2019 https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/Cambridge-Elevating-Recalls-Home-Elevators-Due-to-Fall-Hazard.
• Waupaca Elevator Home Elevators, October 25, 2018 https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/Waupaca-Elevator-Recalls-to-Inspect-Elevators-Due-to-Injury-Hazard.
• Porta Residential Elevators, August 3, 2016 https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2016/Porta-Recalls-Residential-Elevators.
• Coastal Carolina Residential Elevators, March 19, 2015 https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2015/Childs-Catastrophic-Brain-Injury-Prompts-Recall-of-Residential-Elevators.
• ThyssenKrupp Access Manufacturing Residential Elevators, September 20, 2012 https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2012/Residential-Elevators-Recalled-for-Repair-by-ThyssenKrupp-Access-Manufacturing-Due-to-Fall-Hazard.

For more safety information, see CPSC’s safety education messages on residential elevators.

• Vacation Rental Homes Can Pose a Deadly Hazard - Kids Can Be Crushed to Death in Dangerous Home Elevator Gaps | CPSC.gov
• As Family Vacations Resume, CPSC Warns of Safety Hazards in Vacation Rental Homes | CPSC.gov

CPSC will continue its investigation into the safety of residential elevators, and advises consumers to report any safety incident involving residential elevators at www.SaferProducts.gov.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today filed an administrative complaint against Amazon.com, the world’s largest retailer, to force Amazon to accept responsibility for recalling potentially hazardous products sold on Amazon.com.

“Today’s vote to file an administrative complaint against Amazon was a huge step forward for this small agency,” says Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “But it’s a huge step across a vast desert—we must grapple with how to deal with these massive third-party platforms more efficiently, and how best to protect the American consumers who rely on them.”

The complaint charges that the specific products are defective and pose a risk of serious injury or death to consumers and that Amazon is legally responsible to recall them. The named products include 24,000 faulty carbon monoxide detectors that fail to alarm, numerous children’s sleepwear garments that are in violation of the flammable fabric safety standard risking burn injuries to children, and nearly 400,000 hair dryers sold without the required immersion protection devices that protect consumers against shock and electrocution.

The Commission voted 3-1 to approve the complaint, which seeks to force Amazon, as a distributor of the products, to stop selling these products, work with CPSC staff on a recall of the products and to directly notify consumers who purchased them about the recall and offer them a full refund. Although Amazon has taken certain action with respect to some of the named products, the complaint charges that those actions are insufficient.

CPSC urges consumers to visit SaferProducts.gov to check for recalls prior to purchasing products and to report any incidents or injuries to the CPSC.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, millions of Americans are traveling this summer. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding consumers to look for critical safety features when staying in vacation rental homes.

Travelers should make sure their vacation rental home has smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, in addition to pool safety and home elevator safety features, if applicable.

Among the most important safety tips for traveling consumers are the following:

Fire Safety

• Check for adequate smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Smoke alarms should be on every level of the home, outside each sleeping area and inside every bedroom.
  • Carbon monoxide alarms should be on every level of the home outside sleeping areas.
• Make sure there is a fire extinguisher in the home.
• Have a fire escape plan (providing two ways out each room).

Child Safety

• Avoid deadly furniture and TV tip-overs; don’t let children climb on furniture, and don’t place toys and remotes where children might be tempted to climb up to reach for them.
• Keep cleaning supplies in a locked cabinet or out of reach of children.
• Keep all window cords out of reach of children.
• Keep baby’s sleep space free from pillows and blankets, and use cribs that meet CPSC safety standards.
• Even when traveling, ensure that baby sleeps in a flat crib or play yard with a well-fitting sheet.
• Check SaferProducts.gov to be sure none of the child or infant products in a vacation rental are subject to a recall. If they are, do not use them, and notify the property or rental manager.

Pool Safely

At vacation rental homes with pools:

• Never leave a child unattended in or near water, and always designate an adult Water Watcher. This person should not be reading, texting, using a smartphone or otherwise be distracted.
  • Child drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death among children ages one to four years old.
• There should be an alarm on the door leading from the house to the pool.
• Pools and spas should be surrounded by a fence at least four feet high with self-closing and self-latching gates.
• Pools and spas should have drain covers that meet federal standards; consumers can ask property or rental managers for confirmation.
• Life-saving equipment, such as life rings or reaching poles, should be available for use.
• Make sure kids learn to swim.
• Keep children away from pool drains.
• Know how to perform CPR on children and adults.

Home Elevator Safety

At vacation rental homes with elevators:

• Be aware of a deadly gap (greater than 4 inches deep) that may exist between the interior and exterior doors of home elevators.
  • Children, from ages 2 through 16, have been crushed to death in this gap. In some incidents, children have suffered multiple skull fractures, fractured vertebrae, traumatic asphyxia and other horrific and lifelong injuries. 

• Lock the elevator so that it cannot be accessed by children; or lock all exterior (hoistway) doors to the elevator.
• Don’t let children play with or around residential elevators.
  • Residential elevators were linked to 4,600 injuries and 22 deaths from 1981 through 2019. 

Related poster:

NSN Poster – Take Safety With You

For more information, contact Nicolette Nye at nnye@cpsc.gov or at 240-204-4410.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –To prevent children from suffering further serious injury or death, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) filed an administrative complaint against thyssenkrupp Access Corp. (thyssenkrupp), alleging that thyssenkrupp’s residential elevators contain defects that present a substantial product hazard. CPSC alleges that certain models of thyssenkrupp residential elevators manufactured and distributed through 2012 were installed with a hazardous gap between the exterior hoistway door and the interior elevator car door or gate. The models include, but are not limited to: Chaparral, Destiny, LEV, LEV II, LEV II Builder, Rise, Volant, Windsor, Independence, and Flexi-Lift models. thyssenkrupp has refused to conduct a voluntary recall of the hazardous residential elevators.

Children can become entrapped when a residential elevator is installed with excessive space between the exterior hoistway door and the interior elevator car door or gate, and suffer serious injuries or death when the elevator is called to another floor. There have been three incidents involving thyssenkrupp residential elevators, including a 2-year-old child who died in 2017, and a 3-year-old child left permanently disabled in 2010. Additionally, in 2019, a 4-year-old boy was hospitalized after a crush injury.

“These injuries and deaths are ghastly,” said Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “The gaps in residential elevators are truly a hidden hazard for homeowners, and for anyone who is visiting or renting a home with an elevator.”

The complaint charges that the residential elevators are defective for a variety of reasons, including defects in thyssenkrupp’s installation materials and defects in the elevators’ design.

At least 16,800 residential elevators were manufactured and distributed by ThyssenKrupp Access Manufacturing, LLC, thyssenkrupp Access Corp., Access Industries, Inc., or National Wheel-O-Vator Company, Inc., through 2012. The residential elevators were distributed by third-party builders, residential elevator dealers and installers for $15,000 to $25,000 for a two-landing installation.

The Commission voted 3-1 to approve the complaint, which seeks, among other things, that thyssenkrupp be ordered to notify the public of the defect and offer consumers a remedy that includes a free inspection, and if necessary, installation of safety devices, such as space guards, at no cost to consumers.

CPSC urges consumers to disable or block children’s access to the thyssenkrupp residential elevators to prevent a potential deadly incident.

Fireworks Safety Is Critical for 4^th of July Celebrations

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The nation saw a large increase in people being hurt and killed by fireworks last year. Many municipalities cancelled July 4^th public fireworks displays during the COVID- 19 pandemic, which may have spurred consumers to use fireworks on their own.

“These tragic deaths and injuries are reminders of just how dangerous fireworks can be,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “Consumers should enjoy professional fireworks displays from a distance, and be extra vigilant when using consumer-type fireworks.” 

A new report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) finds a 50 percent increase in deaths and injuries from fireworks-related incidents in 2020, compared to 2019.

• At least 18 people died from fireworks-related incidents in 2020, compared to 12 reported for the previous year.
• About 15,600 people were treated in hospital emergency departments for fireworks injuries in 2020. There were about 10,000 ER-treated fireworks injuries in 2019.

Other important highlights from CPSC’s report:

• Of the 18 deaths, 8 of the victims (44 percent) had used alcohol or drugs prior to the incident.
• Most fireworks-related injuries (about 66 percent) occurred in the month surrounding the July 4^th holiday (from June 21, 2020 to July 21, 2020). During that one-month period:
  • Severe injuries related to fireworks increased in 2020. More consumers were admitted to the hospital, or were transferred to another hospital for treatment, due to severe fireworks injuries in 2020 (21 percent) versus 2019 (12 percent).
  • Young adults ages 20-24 saw the biggest spike in visits to the hospital emergency room for fireworks-related injuries, compared to any age group last year, 17 injuries per 100,000 people in 2020 versus 2.8 per 100,000 people in 2019.
  • Firecrackers were the biggest source of ER-treated fireworks injuries (1,600), followed by sparklers (900).
  • The parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers, at 30 percent. The head, face and ears were the second most injured body parts, at 22 percent. Eye injuries were third at 15 percent.
  • Burns were the most common fireworks-related, emergency room-treated injury, at 44 percent. 

Tips to Celebrate Safely

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to melt some metals.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy, in case of fire or other mishap.
• Light fireworks one at a time, then move away from the fireworks device quickly.
• Never try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Soak them with water, and throw them away.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Move to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Never point or throw fireworks (including sparklers) at anyone.
• After fireworks complete their burning, to prevent a trash fire, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding the device.
• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area, and only purchase and set off fireworks that are labeled for consumer (not professional) use.
• Never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

• For more fireworks safety tips, visit www.cpsc.gov.

CPSC fireworks demonstration b-roll

Demonstrations of fireworks dangers https://spaces.hightail.com/space/leQcRVoZfH

Firework Information Center https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks 

See our multi-media news release at https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8910351-cpsc-report-fireworks-related-injuries-deaths-spiked-pandemic/

For more information, contact Patty Davis, CPSC’s Office of Communications, at pdavis@cpsc.gov at 240-863-8585.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) new mandatory federal flammability standard for upholstered furniture goes into effect on June 25, 2021. Upholstered furniture manufactured, imported or reupholstered on or after that date must comply with the standard.

House Fires Are Deadly

In a house fire, a consumer has just minutes to escape before their home is engulfed in flames. Upholstered furniture in a house fire is frequently the first thing to catch fire, presents a significant source of fuel for fires, and is associated with about 390 deaths each year, which is 17 percent of deaths in home fires, according to CPSC’s annual Residential Fire Loss Estimates report.

What Is Upholstered Furniture?

The federal standard applies to upholstered furniture, which is furniture with an upholstered seat, back or arm and that is meant for indoor use in a home, other places of assembly or public accommodation where consumers will customarily use the upholstered furniture. What is not covered by this standard?  Futons, cushions and pads used on outdoor furniture, certain durable infant and toddler products and products prescribed by a healthcare professional are excluded from the standard.

Consumers Should Look for the Label, Starting June 25, 2022

Upholstered furniture will be required to have a permanent label, stating: “Complies with U.S. CPSC requirements for upholstered furniture flammability.” CPSC recommends that manufacturers make the label easy for consumers to find and identify. CPSC will enforce the new federal label requirement beginning on June 25, 2022. 

The federal standard for upholstered furniture was mandated by Congress in the 2021 COVID relief law.  CPSC’s standard adopts the State of California’s furniture flammability standard, TB-117-2013, which addresses smoldering fires.

For more on the new standard, see CPSC’s frequently asked questions (FAQ’s).

WASHINGTON, D.C. Vacation rental homes have become a popular alternative to hotels and motels during the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding travelers to take safety with them, especially when staying in vacation rental homes with residential elevators. 

Residential elevators can pose a deadly hazard. Consumers who have a residential elevator at home, or use one at vacation rentals, should be aware that a simple push of a button can swiftly turn into a tragedy. In fact, residential elevators were linked to 4,600 injuries and 22 deaths from 1981 through 2019.

CPSC is warning consumers with home elevators, and those who visit homes with elevators, to be aware of a deadly gap that may exist between the elevator door and the exterior (i.e., hoistway) door inside the home. Children, some as young as two, up to age 16, have been crushed to death in this gap. In some incidents, children have suffered multiple skull fractures, fractured vertebrae, traumatic asphyxia and other horrific and lifelong injuries.

Typical Residential Elevator with Swinging Hoistway Door and Accordion Car Door

A Deadly Gap:
The distance between the inner elevator car door or gate and the exterior hoistway door inside the home may be too deep to protect small children. If the gap is too deep between any exterior hoistway door and the farthest point of the car door (which is often an accordion door), a child can enter and close the exterior hoistway door without opening the interior car door, and become entrapped between the two doors, resulting in serious injuries, or death, when the elevator car moves. 

Residential elevators are commonly found in multilevel homes, townhomes, vacation homes and rentals, in addition to large homes that have been converted to inns or bed-and-breakfast hotels. Elevator installers should never allow any gap greater than four inches deep to exist in an elevator entryway, as measured in accordance with ASME A17.1-2016 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.

How to Protect Kids and Fix the Gap:

• Consumers concerned about elevator safety, should lock the elevator itself in an unusable position, or lock all exterior (hoistway) doors to the elevator.
• CPSC urges consumers to have a qualified elevator inspector examine their home elevator for this dangerous gap and other potential safety hazards, ensuring that the elevator complies with the requirements of the ASME A17.3-2017 Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators.

• Dangerous gaps can be eliminated by placing space guards on the back of the exterior hoistway door, or by installing an electronic monitoring device that deactivates the elevator when a child is detected in the gap. Consumers can contact their elevator manufacturer, or an elevator installer, to obtain these critical safety devices and protect children from this hidden hazard.

Residential Elevator Recalls:

• Check www.cpsc.gov for recalls of residential elevators. If the elevator has been recalled, contact the recalling company, and get the remedy right away. 
• CPSC has worked with manufacturers to recall residential elevators for a variety of hazards:
  • Otis Elevator Company Residential Elevators, December 17, 2020, https://cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/otis-elevator-company-recalls-to-inspect-private-residence-elevators-due-to-entrapment.
  • Cambridge Elevating Home Elevators, March 27, 2019, https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/Cambridge-Elevating-Recalls-Home-Elevators-Due-to-Fall-Hazard.  
  • Waupaca Elevator Home Elevators, October 25, 2018, https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/Waupaca-Elevator-Recalls-to-Inspect-Elevators-Due-to-Injury-Hazard.
  • Porta Residential Elevators, August 3, 2016, https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2016/Porta-Recalls-Residential-Elevators.
  • Coastal Carolina Residential Elevators, March 19, 2015, https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2015/Childs-Catastrophic-Brain-Injury-Prompts-Recall-of-Residential-Elevators.
  • ThyssenKrupp Access Manufacturing Residential Elevators, September 20, 2012, https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2012/Residential-Elevators-Recalled-for-Repair-by-ThyssenKrupp-Access-Manufacturing-Due-to-Fall-Hazard.

CPSC will continue its investigation into the safety of residential elevators, and advises consumers to report any safety incident involving residential elevators at www.SaferProducts.gov.

For more information, contact Nicolette Nye in CPSC’s Office of Communications at

nnye@cpsc.gov or at 240-204-4410.

Report Unsafe Products to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. –We all know that an annual medical checkup is a good idea to help us stay healthy. The products in consumers’ homes need the same attention at least once every year to be safe. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to check for unsafe products in their homes. 

Most consumer products have safety standards, warning labels or safety devices. Those safety aids include, for example, an immersion-protection device on hair dryers to protect consumers from electrical shocks and electrocution; a label on bicycle helmets, stating that the helmet meets CPSC’s federal safety standard; warning labels on toys, cautioning that small parts can be a choking hazard to young children; and safety information, providing alerts about medication and hazardous household chemicals that must comply with the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.

Report dangerous products to CPSC at Safer Products.gov. Consumers should make sure the products at home have these important labels or safety devices. If they don’t, consumers should report the product to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov. 

Help protect others. Reporting unsafe products helps CPSC do its job and lets other consumers know about dangerous products. Reporting also helps CPSC decide whether it should recall a product, issue a fine to the manufacturer, or create a regulation to address the product hazard.

Reporting is confidential. Personal information will remain confidential throughout the reporting process and will never be shared without a consumer’s permission. If a consumer gives CPSC permission to publish their report, the report may become searchable from the Search page on SaferProducts.gov. If they do not give us permission to publish their report, the safety information may still be made public by CPSC, however consumers’ names and contact information will never be released.

Consumers should check their homes today. Consumers should use the following checklist to make sure their consumer products are safe. If a consumer suspects a product in their home is counterfeit, they should let CPSC know about it at www.SaferProducts.gov. Also check for recalled products in the home. The list of recalled products is at SaferProducts.gov, or CPSC’s recalls app can be downloaded for free. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) once again is warning parents and caregivers about the dangers of high-powered magnetic balls and cubes.  Today, the CPSC announced a mandatory recall of 10 million Zen and Neoballs magnets due to an ingestion hazard and risk of death. Most recalls are done voluntarily with the firm and CPSC working together to get dangerous products out of consumers’ hands. Because Zen did not agree to a voluntary recall, CPSC sued the company to effect a mandatory recall. 

When high-powered magnets are swallowed, they can interact with each other or other metallic objects (material attracted to magnets) and become lodged in the digestive system. This can result in perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning, and death. These injuries can occur when infants, toddlers, and teens access and ingest the magnets, including, for example, when teens use the magnets to mimic mouth piercings and swallow them inadvertently. 

To help protect children from this hidden hazard, CPSC has issued violation notices to companies that market dangerous, high-powered magnetic balls and cubes as toys for children, insisting that those companies notify purchasers and warn of the dangers of use by children. CPSC also works with major online platforms to remove these products from their sites. 

The agency is also warning parents and caregivers to be extremely cautious with magnets that are not subject to the Toy Standard and are marketed for adults. Numerous magnet ingestion incident reports involving children and teens identify magnets marketed only to adults and with involving products intended for adults demonstrate the difficulty caregivers have preventing children and teens from accessing the magnets, and continued misunderstanding of the likelihood and severity of this hidden hazard.

“When consumers see these products marketed for children on trusted e-commerce sites, many of these items sold by foreign firms, consumers assume they are safe,” says Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “But the reality is, these magnets can cause lifelong injury, or worse, to kids. That’s why it’s so important that e-commerce sites not allow these products to be sold to kids and why kids are safest when these products are not in the home.”

In some cases, when the magnet firms were not responsive, CPSC worked with e-commerce sites to issue safety alert notices directly to purchasers.

“The sad truth is we’re playing whack-a-mole with these dangerous products, and each one we miss could have grave consequences for young children and teens,” said Adler. “But until we can get these products off the market entirely, we just have to be vigilant.”

From 2009 to 2018, there were two deaths in the U.S. and at least an estimated 4,500 magnet-related cases treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments for ingestions of magnets with characteristics of magnet sets (e.g., numerous small, round magnets), most by children 11 months to 16 years old. 

To help prevent serious magnet ingestion injuries and deaths, follow these safety tips:

• Make sure your children, including teens, understand the magnet ingestion hazard and to never put magnets near their mouth or nose. It is important to explain that magnet ingestions often occur accidentally while playing or using the magnets like piercings.

• Remove magnet sets, small magnets and small pieces containing magnets from the homes with children who might mistakenly, or intentionally, swallow them.

• Look out for loose magnetic pieces–and regularly inspect toys and children’s play areas for missing or dislodged magnets.

• Seek immediate medical attention if you suspect your child may have swallowed a magnet. 

• Look for non-specific abdominal symptoms, such as abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In some cases, these and other symptoms may not appear until after serious internal injury has occurred—do not wait for symptoms.

• Note that objects in x-rays may appear as a single object that could actually be multiple magnetic pieces separated by trapped intestinal walls.

• Check www.cpsc.gov to make sure your children’s magnetic toys have not been recalled. If they have been recalled, stop using them immediately, and get the remedy offered by the firm.

• To learn more about how and why magnetic balls are so dangerous to children, please go to www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Magnets. 

CPSC continues its enforcement efforts to address the hazard of dangerous magnets by issuing notices of violation and pursuing recalls. For a listing of recalls and notices of violations to companies that marketed their magnetic balls and cubes to children in violation of federal safety standards for toys, click here.  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, millions of Americans are traveling this summer. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding consumers to look for critical safety features when staying in vacation rental homes.

Travelers should make sure their vacation rental home has smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers, in addition to pool safety and home elevator safety features, if applicable.

Among the most important safety tips for traveling consumers are the following:

Fire Safety

• Check for adequate smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Smoke alarms should be on every level of the home, outside each sleeping area and inside every bedroom.
  • Carbon monoxide alarms should be on every level of the home outside sleeping areas.
• Make sure there is a fire extinguisher in the home.
• Have a fire escape plan (providing two ways out each room).

Child Safety

• Avoid deadly furniture and TV tip-overs; don’t let children climb on furniture, and don’t place toys and remotes where children might be tempted to climb up to reach for them.
• Keep cleaning supplies in a locked cabinet or out of reach of children.
• Keep all window cords out of reach of children.
• Keep baby’s sleep space free from pillows and blankets, and use cribs that meet CPSC safety standards.
• Even when traveling, ensure that baby sleeps in a flat crib or play yard with a well-fitting sheet.
• Check SaferProducts.gov to be sure none of the child or infant products in a vacation rental are subject to a recall. If they are, do not use them, and notify the property or rental manager.

Pool Safely

At vacation rental homes with pools:

• Never leave a child unattended in or near water, and always designate an adult Water Watcher. This person should not be reading, texting, using a smartphone or otherwise be distracted.
  • Child drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death among children ages one to four years old.
• There should be an alarm on the door leading from the house to the pool.
• Pools and spas should be surrounded by a fence at least four feet high with self-closing and self-latching gates.
• Pools and spas should have drain covers that meet federal standards; consumers can ask property or rental managers for confirmation.
• Life-saving equipment, such as life rings or reaching poles, should be available for use.
• Make sure kids learn to swim.
• Keep children away from pool drains.
• Know how to perform CPR on children and adults.

Home Elevator Safety

At vacation rental homes with elevators:

• Be aware of a deadly gap (greater than 4 inches deep) that may exist between the interior and exterior doors of home elevators.
  • Children, from ages 2 through 16, have been crushed to death in this gap. In some incidents, children have suffered multiple skull fractures, fractured vertebrae, traumatic asphyxia and other horrific and lifelong injuries. 

• Lock the elevator so that it cannot be accessed by children; or lock all exterior (hoistway) doors to the elevator.
• Don’t let children play with or around residential elevators.
  • Residential elevators were linked to 4,600 injuries and 22 deaths from 1981 through 2019. 

Related poster:

NSN Poster – Take Safety With You

For more information, contact Nicolette Nye at nnye@cpsc.gov or at 240-204-4410.

Note: Grants deadline extended to August 16, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is seeking applications for a Pool Safely Grant Program (PSGP or grant program) offered to state and local governments.  CPSC will award up to a total of $2 million in two-year grants to assist jurisdictions in reducing deaths and injuries from drowning and drain entrapment incidents in pools and spas.  The PSGP is a part of CPSC's national campaign to make drowning and drain entrapment prevention a critical public safety priority.

The grant program is made possible through the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act), legislation authored and advanced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida).  The VGB Act seeks to provide state and local governments with assistance for education, training and enforcement of pool safety requirements.

“These grants can make a real difference and potentially save lives as communities work to reopen pools following the pandemic.  These grants can help educate consumers about drowning and entrapment dangers and provide assistance to states and municipalities for their enforcement of pool safety laws,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler.  “State and local programs can receive funding to continue this lifesaving work to reduce the risk of drowning.”

Applicants must be a state or local government or U S. Territory that has an enacted or amended a state and/or local law(s) that meet the requirements of the VGB Act (15 U.S.C. 8001), sections 1405 and 1406.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to review the solicitation on Grants.gov, under grant opportunity CPSC-21-001.  Applications will be accepted through August 16, 2021.

CPSC's website: www.PoolSafely.gov, has more information about the Pool Safely Grant Program and the VGB Act. Poolsafely.gov  has free, downloadable information for the general public, state and local officials, the swimming pool and spa community and the media.

The requirements of this child safety law have helped reduce the risk of drowning.  The requirements, include installing new safety drain covers and physical barriers, such as a fence completely surrounding the pool, with self-closing, self-latching gates, and, if the house forms a side of the barrier, using alarms on doors leading to the pool area and/or a power safety cover over the pool.  See additional pool safety tips at: www.poolsafely.gov

Rule Will Mean a Changed—and Safer—Marketplace for Parents

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a new federal rule that will ensure that products marketed or intended for infant sleep will provide a safe sleep environment for babies under 5 months old.

Beginning in mid-2022, any product intended or marketed for infant sleep must meet a federal safety standard—a requirement that does not exist today.  The new mandatory standard will effectively eliminate potentially hazardous sleep products in the marketplace that do not currently meet a CPSC mandatory standard for infant sleep, such as inclined sleepers, travel and compact bassinets, and in-bed sleepers, which have been linked to dozens of infant deaths. Popular products formerly referred to as “inclined sleep products” include several styles that have been recalled over the years.

“What we’ve done today fulfills the most sacred of our obligations as Commissioners—to take steps to protect vulnerable consumers, including babies,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “Today’s vote ensures that when a product is intended or marketed for sleep, it will indeed be safe for an infant to sleep.”

The new federal safety rule incorporates the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International (ASTM F3118-17a, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Infant Inclined Sleep Products), with modifications to make the standard more stringent. The new standard now requires that infant sleep products that do not already meet the requirements of an existing CPSC sleep standard must be tested to confirm that the angle of the sleep surface is 10 degrees or lower and that they comply with the agency’s Safety Standard for Bassinets and Cradles.

CPSC and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have long warned of the dangers of bed-sharing or co-sleeping. The new rule does not take any action against bed-sharing without sleep products. Instead, it shifts responsibility to manufacturers to assist parents who want to bed-share, by requiring them to produce only products that are safe to do so. The new rule also does not extend to items that are expressly not intended or marketed for infant sleep, such as swings and car seats. CPSC reminds consumers that the safest place for a baby to sleep is a flat, bare surface dedicated to the infant. Today’s rule ensures that products marketed for sleep meet these basic safety requirements. For more on safe sleep practices, click here.

CPSC is aware of a total of 254 incidents, including 21 fatalities, related to infant sleep products (inclined and flat), occurring between January 2019 and December 2020 reported since the SNPR. The hazard patterns associated with the infant inclined sleep products include design-related issues which resulted in infants rolling over and asphyxiating, children developing respiratory problems, or developing physical deformations due to extended period of use. Hazard patterns for the flat infant sleep products included infants falling out of the product, or suffocating on soft structure sides.

For more information on the Section 104(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act), which requires the Commission to issue consumer product safety standards for durable infant or toddler products, click here.

The Commission voted 3 to 1 to approve the standard on June 2, 2021. Later this year, the Commission expects to consider federal safety standards for crib bumpers and crib mattresses.

CPSC Commissioner Statements:

Acting Chairman Robert Adler

Commissioner Peter Feldman

Commissioner Dana Baiocco

Commissioner Elliot F. Kaye

Fireworks Safety Is Critical for 4^th of July Celebrations

WASHINGTON, D.C. –The nation saw a large increase in people being hurt and killed by fireworks last year. Many municipalities cancelled July 4^th public fireworks displays during the COVID- 19 pandemic, which may have spurred consumers to use fireworks on their own.

“These tragic deaths and injuries are reminders of just how dangerous fireworks can be,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “Consumers should enjoy professional fireworks displays from a distance, and be extra vigilant when using consumer-type fireworks.” 

A new report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) finds a 50 percent increase in deaths and injuries from fireworks-related incidents in 2020, compared to 2019.

• At least 18 people died from fireworks-related incidents in 2020, compared to 12 reported for the previous year.
• About 15,600 people were treated in hospital emergency departments for fireworks injuries in 2020. There were about 10,000 ER-treated fireworks injuries in 2019.

Other important highlights from CPSC’s report:

• Of the 18 deaths, 8 of the victims (44 percent) had used alcohol or drugs prior to the incident.
• Most fireworks-related injuries (about 66 percent) occurred in the month surrounding the July 4^th holiday (from June 21, 2020 to July 21, 2020). During that one-month period:
  • Severe injuries related to fireworks increased in 2020. More consumers were admitted to the hospital, or were transferred to another hospital for treatment, due to severe fireworks injuries in 2020 (21 percent) versus 2019 (12 percent).
  • Young adults ages 20-24 saw the biggest spike in visits to the hospital emergency room for fireworks-related injuries, compared to any age group last year, 17 injuries per 100,000 people in 2020 versus 2.8 per 100,000 people in 2019.
  • Firecrackers were the biggest source of ER-treated fireworks injuries (1,600), followed by sparklers (900).
  • The parts of the body most often injured were hands and fingers, at 30 percent. The head, face and ears were the second most injured body parts, at 22 percent. Eye injuries were third at 15 percent.
  • Burns were the most common fireworks-related, emergency room-treated injury, at 44 percent. 

Tips to Celebrate Safely

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit—hot enough to melt some metals.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy, in case of fire or other mishap.
• Light fireworks one at a time, then move away from the fireworks device quickly.
• Never try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Soak them with water, and throw them away.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Move to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Never point or throw fireworks (including sparklers) at anyone.
• After fireworks complete their burning, to prevent a trash fire, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding the device.
• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area, and only purchase and set off fireworks that are labeled for consumer (not professional) use.
• Never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

• For more fireworks safety tips, visit www.cpsc.gov.

CPSC fireworks demonstration b-roll

Demonstrations of fireworks dangers https://spaces.hightail.com/space/leQcRVoZfH

Firework Information Center https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks 

See our multi-media news release at https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8910351-cpsc-report-fireworks-related-injuries-deaths-spiked-pandemic/

For more information, contact Patty Davis, CPSC’s Office of Communications, at pdavis@cpsc.gov at 240-863-8585.

Fewer Kids Took Swim Lessons During COVID-19 Pandemic Putting Them at Risk

WASHINGTON – The annual drowning and submersion report released today by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds families to make water safety a priority, particularly as they return to community pools and resume warm-weather activities near water. Child drownings remain the leading cause of unintentional death among children ages one to four years old.

CPSC’s latest data show:

• an increase in pool-or spa-related fatal drowning incidents among children younger than 15 years old;
• on average, there were 397 reported pool-or-spa-related fatal drownings per year for 2016 through 2018, involving children younger than 15 years of age; and
• seventy-five percent of the reported fatal drownings from 2016 through 2018 involved children younger than five years of age- eighty-three percent of these were at residential pools.

“As we enter the summer months, parents and caregivers must be mindful of the pandemic’s impact on their children’s swimming ability and water safety skills,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “CPSC’s latest report confirms that most child drownings involve children under the age of five, whose limited experience around the water due to recent social distancing restrictions could put them at greater risk of drowning. With fewer children attending swimming lessons during the past year, it is critical to refresh these and others the life-saving skills, while practicing increased vigilance both anywhere children are swimming and during non-swim times as well.”

While the report shows that number of pool-or spa-related, hospital emergency department-treated, nonfatal drowning injuries decreased from 2019 (6,300 injuries) to 2020 (5,800 injuries), CPSC advises that the changes are not statistically significant. From 2018 to 2020, 78 percent of nonfatal drowning injuries occurred among children younger than five years old.

The lower number of drownings is likely the result of limitations on summer activities – including group or public swimming – due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As American families gradually return to public recreational activities and in-person gatherings in the warm-weather months, parents and caregivers can follow Pool Safely’s simple steps to help prevent fatal and nonfatal drownings and keep children safer:

• Never leave a child unattended in or near water, and always designate an adult Water Watcher. This person should not be reading, texting, using a smartphone or be otherwise distracted. In addition to pools and spas, this warning includes bathtubs, buckets, decorative ponds, and fountains.
• If you own a pool or spa, install layers of barriers to prevent the unsupervised child from accessing the water. Homes can use door alarms, pool covers, and self-closing, self-latching devices on doors that access the pools and on gates of four-sided fences.
• Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults. Many communities offer online CPR training.
• Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim.
• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments.
• Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal safety standards and if you do not know, ask your pool service provider about safer drain covers.
• Visit the Pool Safely Kids’ Corner to keep children entertained and educated with virtual water safety games and activities.
• Take the Pool Safely Pledge as a family, and find customized water safety resources using the Pool Safely Safer Water Information Match (S.W.I.M.) tool.

Additional health and safety considerations for visiting public pools during COVID-19 are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, here.

You can read the full CPSC drowning and entrapment reports by visiting PoolSafely.gov.

Note: CPSC’s report addresses nonfatal drownings for the period 2018 through 2020 and fatal drownings for the period 2016 through 2018, reflecting a lag in the reporting of fatal drowning statistics.

Fewer Kids Took Swim Lessons During COVID-19 Pandemic Putting Them at Risk

WASHINGTON – The annual drowning and submersion report released today by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds families to make water safety a priority, particularly as they return to community pools and resume warm-weather activities near water. Child drownings remain the leading cause of unintentional death among children ages one to four years old.

CPSC’s latest data show:

• an increase in pool-or spa-related fatal drowning incidents among children younger than 15 years old;
• on average, there were 397 reported pool-or-spa-related fatal drownings per year for 2016 through 2018, involving children younger than 15 years of age; and
• seventy-five percent of the reported fatal drownings from 2016 through 2018 involved children younger than five years of age- eighty-three percent of these were at residential pools.

“As we enter the summer months, parents and caregivers must be mindful of the pandemic’s impact on their children’s swimming ability and water safety skills,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler. “CPSC’s latest report confirms that most child drownings involve children under the age of five, whose limited experience around the water due to recent social distancing restrictions could put them at greater risk of drowning. With fewer children attending swimming lessons during the past year, it is critical to refresh these and others the life-saving skills, while practicing increased vigilance both anywhere children are swimming and during non-swim times as well.”

While the report shows that number of pool-or spa-related, hospital emergency department-treated, nonfatal drowning injuries decreased from 2019 (6,300 injuries) to 2020 (5,800 injuries), CPSC advises that the changes are not statistically significant. From 2018 to 2020, 78 percent of nonfatal drowning injuries occurred among children younger than five years old.

The lower number of drownings is likely the result of limitations on summer activities – including group or public swimming – due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As American families gradually return to public recreational activities and in-person gatherings in the warm-weather months, parents and caregivers can follow Pool Safely’s simple steps to help prevent fatal and nonfatal drownings and keep children safer:

• Never leave a child unattended in or near water, and always designate an adult Water Watcher. This person should not be reading, texting, using a smartphone or be otherwise distracted. In addition to pools and spas, this warning includes bathtubs, buckets, decorative ponds, and fountains.
• If you own a pool or spa, install layers of barriers to prevent the unsupervised child from accessing the water. Homes can use door alarms, pool covers, and self-closing, self-latching devices on doors that access the pools and on gates of four-sided fences.
• Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults. Many communities offer online CPR training.
• Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim.
• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments.
• Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal safety standards and if you do not know, ask your pool service provider about safer drain covers.
• Visit the Pool Safely Kids’ Corner to keep children entertained and educated with virtual water safety games and activities.
• Take the Pool Safely Pledge as a family, and find customized water safety resources using the Pool Safely Safer Water Information Match (S.W.I.M.) tool.

Additional health and safety considerations for visiting public pools during COVID-19 are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, here.

You can read the full CPSC drowning and entrapment reports by visiting PoolSafely.gov.

Note: CPSC’s report addresses nonfatal drownings for the period 2018 through 2020 and fatal drownings for the period 2016 through 2018, reflecting a lag in the reporting of fatal drowning statistics.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As consumers around the country welcome the warm-weather recreation season, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to understand the risks and undertake necessary safety measures before riding ATVs and other off-highway vehicles.  The dangers are real, and include overturning, collision, and occupant ejection.

CPSC’s latest report includes off-highway vehicle (OHV)-related estimated injury statistics during the period 2015 through 2019, and deaths from 2015 through 2017.  OHVs are comprised of recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs) and utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), in addition to ATVs.

ATVs accounted for approximately 97 percent of total off-highway vehicle (OHV)-related emergency department-treated injuries.  There were about 1,700 ATV-related fatalities and 445 ROV-related fatalities reported during this period.

Children Are at High Risk

ATVs and ROVs become more dangerous when children drive adult-sized vehicles, or when more than one passenger rides on vehicles built for a single rider.  Children under 16 accounted for the third-highest percentage of OHV deaths by age group; almost 50 percent of this group were children under 12.

State with the Most Deaths

During the 2015 through 2017 period, Texas had the highest number of deaths from ATVs, ROVs or OHVs, with 161 fatalities.                                                      

Never Ride ATVs and ROVs on Paved Roads

It is extremely dangerous to use ATVs and ROVs on paved roads intended for vehicles; they are simply not designed for that purpose.  Because ATVs and ROVs can be unwieldy on paved surfaces, the risk of collision with a car, truck, or other vehicle is significantly higher.  The risk of tip-over is also dramatically increased.  Even if a locality allows ATVs and RTVs on paved roads, CPSC strongly recommends not using them on paved surfaces.

CPSC Safety Tips

Consumers who are riding an ATV or ROV should follow these key safety tips:

• Always wear a helmet and other protective gear, such as eye protection, boots, gloves, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
• Never ride with more passengers than there are seats.  Most ATVs are designed for one rider.
• Riders younger than 16 should only drive age-appropriate youth model ATVs, and never operate adult ATVs.
• Off-road vehicles are designed to be driven only on off-road terrain, not paved surfaces.
• Never ride on public roads, except to cross, where permitted by law.
• Get hands-on training from a qualified instructor.
• Avoid drinking alcohol before or while driving an ATV or ROV.  Alcohol can impair judgment and response time.

For more information, contact Brian Walch in CPSC’s Office of Communications at 301-943-1146 or by email at bwalch@cpsc.gov.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and EGL Motor Inc., are warning consumers to stop using EGL Motor’s ACE D110 youth ATV immediately, to avoid serious injury or death.  These youth ATVs do not meet federal safety standards. 

The youth ATVs are intended for use by children ages 6 years and older, as demonstrated by the product dimensions and advertising. However, the ATVs exceed the mandatory maximum speed limitations and fail to comply with other federal safety standard requirements for ATVs intended for children as young as 6 years of age.  This poses a risk of a high-speed crash, which can result in serious injury or death, if these ATVs are used by young children.

The ATVs were sold online and at dealerships.  The online locations included: www.wholesaleatv.com and www.Alibaba.com.  The dealerships included:  D&M Motorsports, Dirt Cheap Motorsports, Scooter Importer LLC, SB Organization LLC, Infinity Motors, Arizona Discount ATV, JL Motorsports, C&C Motorsports, Scott Millington Motorsports, Wholesale ATV, Jaguar Power Sports, Moto El Paso, Thrifty Scooters, and Windham Powersports.

EGL Motor distributed and sold the ACE D110 model ATV from November 2019 through February 2021.  Approximately 1,300 ATVs were sold since November 2019, for $650 to $850.

EGL Motor informed CPSC that it is working to provide a remedy to consumers.

CPSC and EGL Motor urge consumers to stop using the ACE D110 products immediately and to report any incidents to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As consumers around the country welcome the warm-weather recreation season, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to understand the risks and undertake necessary safety measures before riding ATVs and other off-highway vehicles.  The dangers are real, and include overturning, collision, and occupant ejection.

CPSC’s latest report includes off-highway vehicle (OHV)-related estimated injury statistics during the period 2015 through 2019, and deaths from 2015 through 2017.  OHVs are comprised of recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs) and utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), in addition to ATVs.

ATVs accounted for approximately 97 percent of total off-highway vehicle (OHV)-related emergency department-treated injuries.  There were about 1,700 ATV-related fatalities and 445 ROV-related fatalities reported during this period.

Children Are at High Risk

ATVs and ROVs become more dangerous when children drive adult-sized vehicles, or when more than one passenger rides on vehicles built for a single rider.  Children under 16 accounted for the third-highest percentage of OHV deaths by age group; almost 50 percent of this group were children under 12.

State with the Most Deaths

During the 2015 through 2017 period, Texas had the highest number of deaths from ATVs, ROVs or OHVs, with 161 fatalities.                                                      

Never Ride ATVs and ROVs on Paved Roads

It is extremely dangerous to use ATVs and ROVs on paved roads intended for vehicles; they are simply not designed for that purpose.  Because ATVs and ROVs can be unwieldy on paved surfaces, the risk of collision with a car, truck, or other vehicle is significantly higher.  The risk of tip-over is also dramatically increased.  Even if a locality allows ATVs and RTVs on paved roads, CPSC strongly recommends not using them on paved surfaces.

CPSC Safety Tips

Consumers who are riding an ATV or ROV should follow these key safety tips:

• Always wear a helmet and other protective gear, such as eye protection, boots, gloves, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt.
• Never ride with more passengers than there are seats.  Most ATVs are designed for one rider.
• Riders younger than 16 should only drive age-appropriate youth model ATVs, and never operate adult ATVs.
• Off-road vehicles are designed to be driven only on off-road terrain, not paved surfaces.
• Never ride on public roads, except to cross, where permitted by law.
• Get hands-on training from a qualified instructor.
• Avoid drinking alcohol before or while driving an ATV or ROV.  Alcohol can impair judgment and response time.

For more information, contact Brian Walch in CPSC’s Office of Communications at 301-943-1146 or by email at bwalch@cpsc.gov.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is reminding consumers of the importance of wearing helmets for sports and recreation to reduce the risk of head injury, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).  Helmets absorb much of the impact energy from a fall or collision, and can protect the skull and brain from more severe injury.

Bike helmets are required to meet CPSC’s federal safety standard.  They must have a label stating that they meet the standard.  Consumers can usually find this label on the liner inside of the helmet, on the exterior surface, or attached to the chin strap.  Information on bike helmets, and helmets for other activities, can be found at CPSC’s “Which Helmet for Which Activity” webpage.

Findings in a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show just how critical helmets are to preventing injuries and deaths.  The report found that from 2009 through 2018:

• Bicycle-related deaths increased between 2009 and 2018, primarily among adults. (NHTSA data)
• There were nearly 597,000 bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries treated in hospital emergency departments (ED) in the United States.
• The rate of ED visits declined by almost 50% among kids, but declined only 6% among adults.
• Males were three times more likely than females to end up in the ED with traumatic brain injuries.
• Policies requiring bike helmets have been associated with long-term, sustained bike helmet use and a 20%-55% reduction in head injuries.

CPSC’s recent report on the impact of COVID-19 on hospital emergency room-treated injuries during the period March through September 2020 also highlighted the concern, finding that although bicycles had a slight increase (1%) in overall injuries, the increase jumped to 21% for users age 40 and above, and 39% for adults older than 70.  Injuries from skateboards, scooters, and hoverboards rose 39%.

Although no helmet design has been proven to prevent concussions, CDC’s HEADS UP helps identify concussion symptoms, and when to seek treatment.

To prevent sports-related head injuries, consumers should:

• Always wear a helmet and other safety gear when bicycling and playing sports.
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions.
• Ensure the helmet fits and is worn correctly.
• Replace helmets when needed.  Incidents can impact helmets, and you may not see the damage.  Cracks in the shell, worn straps, and missing pads or other parts are all reasons to replace a helmet.
• Look for a label inside the helmet stating it meets CPSC’s federal safety standard.
• When bicycling, scootering, or skateboarding, watch out for cars, and follow rules of the road and local regulations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is reminding consumers of the importance of wearing helmets for sports and recreation to reduce the risk of head injury, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).  Helmets absorb much of the impact energy from a fall or collision, and can protect the skull and brain from more severe injury.

Bike helmets are required to meet CPSC’s federal safety standard.  They must have a label stating that they meet the standard.  Consumers can usually find this label on the liner inside of the helmet, on the exterior surface, or attached to the chin strap.  Information on bike helmets, and helmets for other activities, can be found at CPSC’s “Which Helmet for Which Activity” webpage.

Findings in a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show just how critical helmets are to preventing injuries and deaths.  The report found that from 2009 through 2018:

• Bicycle-related deaths increased between 2009 and 2018, primarily among adults. (NHTSA data)
• There were nearly 597,000 bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries treated in hospital emergency departments (ED) in the United States.
• The rate of ED visits declined by almost 50% among kids, but declined only 6% among adults.
• Males were three times more likely than females to end up in the ED with traumatic brain injuries.
• Policies requiring bike helmets have been associated with long-term, sustained bike helmet use and a 20%-55% reduction in head injuries.

CPSC’s recent report on the impact of COVID-19 on hospital emergency room-treated injuries during the period March through September 2020 also highlighted the concern, finding that although bicycles had a slight increase (1%) in overall injuries, the increase jumped to 21% for users age 40 and above, and 39% for adults older than 70.  Injuries from skateboards, scooters, and hoverboards rose 39%.

Although no helmet design has been proven to prevent concussions, CDC’s HEADS UP helps identify concussion symptoms, and when to seek treatment.

To prevent sports-related head injuries, consumers should:

• Always wear a helmet and other safety gear when bicycling and playing sports.
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions.
• Ensure the helmet fits and is worn correctly.
• Replace helmets when needed.  Incidents can impact helmets, and you may not see the damage.  Cracks in the shell, worn straps, and missing pads or other parts are all reasons to replace a helmet.
• Look for a label inside the helmet stating it meets CPSC’s federal safety standard.
• When bicycling, scootering, or skateboarding, watch out for cars, and follow rules of the road and local regulations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 1 marks the start of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about the increased risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, fires and electric shock that can happen as a result of hurricanes and severe storms.

More storms on average

Following the record-setting and devastating 2020 hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that the average Atlantic hurricane season will reflect more storms.  NOAA has increased the averages for the Atlantic hurricane season from 12 to 14 named storms and from 6 to 7 hurricanes beginning this year.  The average for major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5) remains at 3.  NOAA’s forecast for this Hurricane season has not yet been released.

Colorado State University forecasts a more dire storm and hurricane picture – 17 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes for this year.

“Millions of Americans who are still dealing with the stress of the global COVID-19 pandemic also live in regions prone to devastating hurricanes and severe storms,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler.  “It only takes one hurricane to cause massive destruction and loss of life.  Be prepared, stay informed, and keep safe before and after storms.”

Consumers need to be especially vigilant when storms knock out their electrical power.  Many use portable generators as a source of power, exposing themselves to increased risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and fire.  CO is called the invisible killer because it is colorless and odorless.  According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 400 people die each year in the United States from CO poisoning.

CPSC data show African Americans are at higher risk of death

While not solely from storm use, there were 78 deaths on average each year between 2015 and 2017, from CO poisoning associated with generators, according to CPSC’s latest report.  Non-Hispanic Black or African Americans are at higher risk, accounting for 22 percent of these generator-related CO deaths from 2009 through 2019, which is nearly double their estimated 13 percent share of the U.S. population.

Poisonous carbon monoxide from a portable generator can kill you and your family in minutes.  Follow CPSC’s safety tips below to help keep your family safe before and after storms:

Before the Storm

• Install battery-operated CO alarms or CO alarms with battery backup in your home, outside separate sleeping areas, and on each floor of your home.
• Place smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside each bedroom and outside sleeping areas.
• Press the test button every month to make sure CO and smoke alarms in your home are working properly, and replace batteries, if needed.
• Check that your generator has had proper maintenance, and read and follow the labels, instructions, and warnings on the generator and the owner’s manual.
• Stock up on flashlights and extra batteries to provide light if the power goes out.

After the Storm

Once the storm has hit, and the power is out, now what?

• Use portable generators OUTSIDE ONLY, at least 20 feet away from the house; and direct the generator’s exhaust away from the home and any other buildings that someone could enter.
• NEVER operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or on the porch.  Opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO.
• CO poisoning from portable generators can happen so quickly that exposed persons may become unconscious before recognizing the symptoms of nausea, dizziness or weakness.
• Never ignore carbon monoxide and smoke alarms when they sound.  Get outside immediately.  Then call 911.

Other product safety hazards during hurricane season include:

CHARCOAL DANGER:

- Never use charcoal indoors.  Burning charcoal in an enclosed space can produce lethal levels of carbon monoxide.  Do not cook on a charcoal grill in a garage, even with the door open.

CANDLES:

Use flashlights instead of candles.  If you must use candles, do not burn them on or near anything that can catch fire.  Never leave burning candles unattended.  Extinguish candles when you leave the room and before sleeping.

WET APPLIANCES:

- Look for signs that your appliances have gotten wet.  Discard unplugged electrical or gas appliances that have been wet because they pose electric shock and fire hazards.  Do not touch electrical or gas appliances that are still plugged in.

- Before using your appliances, have a professional or your gas or electric company evaluate your home and replace all gas control valves, electrical wiring, circuit breakers, and fuses that have been under water.

GAS LEAKS: IF YOU SMELL IT, LEAVE, THEN REPORT IT.

If you smell or hear gas, do not turn lights on or off, or use electrical equipment, including a phone.  Leave your home and contact local gas authorities from outside.

Remember, it only takes one storm to wreak havoc causing mass destruction and loss of life.  Stay informed, be prepared and keep safe!

CPSC resources:

Carbon Monoxide Safety Center

NSN Poster – Safety in the Storm, When Hurricanes Happen

PSA - Hurricane Season is in Full Swing

Link to broadcast quality video for media:  https://spaces.hightail.com/space/XtFQ7YqK0x

CPSC spokespeople are available for interviews.  Email nnye@cpsc.gov or call 240-204-4410 to arrange for an interview.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 1 marks the start of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about the increased risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, fires and electric shock that can happen as a result of hurricanes and severe storms.

More storms on average

Following the record-setting and devastating 2020 hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that the average Atlantic hurricane season will reflect more storms.  NOAA has increased the averages for the Atlantic hurricane season from 12 to 14 named storms and from 6 to 7 hurricanes beginning this year.  The average for major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5) remains at 3.  NOAA’s forecast for this Hurricane season has not yet been released.

Colorado State University forecasts a more dire storm and hurricane picture – 17 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes for this year.

“Millions of Americans who are still dealing with the stress of the global COVID-19 pandemic also live in regions prone to devastating hurricanes and severe storms,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler.  “It only takes one hurricane to cause massive destruction and loss of life.  Be prepared, stay informed, and keep safe before and after storms.”

Consumers need to be especially vigilant when storms knock out their electrical power.  Many use portable generators as a source of power, exposing themselves to increased risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and fire.  CO is called the invisible killer because it is colorless and odorless.  According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 400 people die each year in the United States from CO poisoning.

CPSC data show African Americans are at higher risk of death

While not solely from storm use, there were 78 deaths on average each year between 2015 and 2017, from CO poisoning associated with generators, according to CPSC’s latest report.  Non-Hispanic Black or African Americans are at higher risk, accounting for 22 percent of these generator-related CO deaths from 2009 through 2019, which is nearly double their estimated 13 percent share of the U.S. population.

Poisonous carbon monoxide from a portable generator can kill you and your family in minutes.  Follow CPSC’s safety tips below to help keep your family safe before and after storms:

Before the Storm

• Install battery-operated CO alarms or CO alarms with battery backup in your home, outside separate sleeping areas, and on each floor of your home.
• Place smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside each bedroom and outside sleeping areas.
• Press the test button every month to make sure CO and smoke alarms in your home are working properly, and replace batteries, if needed.
• Check that your generator has had proper maintenance, and read and follow the labels, instructions, and warnings on the generator and the owner’s manual.
• Stock up on flashlights and extra batteries to provide light if the power goes out.

After the Storm

Once the storm has hit, and the power is out, now what?

• Use portable generators OUTSIDE ONLY, at least 20 feet away from the house; and direct the generator’s exhaust away from the home and any other buildings that someone could enter.
• NEVER operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or on the porch.  Opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO.
• CO poisoning from portable generators can happen so quickly that exposed persons may become unconscious before recognizing the symptoms of nausea, dizziness or weakness.
• Never ignore carbon monoxide and smoke alarms when they sound.  Get outside immediately.  Then call 911.

Other product safety hazards during hurricane season include:

CHARCOAL DANGER:

- Never use charcoal indoors.  Burning charcoal in an enclosed space can produce lethal levels of carbon monoxide.  Do not cook on a charcoal grill in a garage, even with the door open.

CANDLES:

Use flashlights instead of candles.  If you must use candles, do not burn them on or near anything that can catch fire.  Never leave burning candles unattended.  Extinguish candles when you leave the room and before sleeping.

WET APPLIANCES:

- Look for signs that your appliances have gotten wet.  Discard unplugged electrical or gas appliances that have been wet because they pose electric shock and fire hazards.  Do not touch electrical or gas appliances that are still plugged in.

- Before using your appliances, have a professional or your gas or electric company evaluate your home and replace all gas control valves, electrical wiring, circuit breakers, and fuses that have been under water.

GAS LEAKS: IF YOU SMELL IT, LEAVE, THEN REPORT IT.

If you smell or hear gas, do not turn lights on or off, or use electrical equipment, including a phone.  Leave your home and contact local gas authorities from outside.

Remember, it only takes one storm to wreak havoc causing mass destruction and loss of life.  Stay informed, be prepared and keep safe!

CPSC resources:

Carbon Monoxide Safety Center

NSN Poster – Safety in the Storm, When Hurricanes Happen

PSA - Hurricane Season is in Full Swing

Link to broadcast quality video for media:  https://spaces.hightail.com/space/XtFQ7YqK0x

CPSC spokespeople are available for interviews.  Email nnye@cpsc.gov or call 240-204-4410 to arrange for an interview.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Robert Adler and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) announced today five awardees of a grant program aimed at preventing pool and spa drownings and drain entrapments.  The state and local governments, selected by CPSC, will receive more than $860,000 in Pool Safely Grant Program (PSGP) grant funds.  This funding will provide the awardees financial assistance for education, training, and enforcement of pool safety requirements that are intended to save lives and prevent serious injuries.

FY 2021 Pool Safely Grant Program Awards

“Unfortunately, drowning remains the number one cause of unintentional death to children ages one to four,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler.  “These grants will help states and local governments reach consumers with lifesaving information to prevent pool and spa drownings and entrapments, and will help them to enforce pool safety requirements.”

“Throughout my career I have been a passionate advocate for pool and spa safety.  We must do more to stop these preventable tragedies, and I know that these grants are one of the key steps we can take to help save more children’s lives,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  “My overall goal is to reduce the number of child drownings across the country, and we can accomplish that by teaching children to swim, ensuring pools have the right safety equipment, and educating parents on the critical importance of supervising children in and near the water.”

The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act), which Rep. Wasserman Schultz authored and led, was passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush in December 2007.  The VGB Act authorizes the PSGP, which provides state and local governments with assistance for education, training, and enforcement of pool safety requirements.

CPSC’s website www.PoolSafely.gov has more information on the Pool Safely Grant program and the VGB Act, as well as free, downloadable educational materials available to the public.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Peloton are announcing two separate voluntary recalls of Peloton’s Tread+ and Tread treadmills.

Consumers who have purchased either treadmill should immediately stop using it and contact Peloton for a full refund or other qualified remedy as described in the press releases below.

Peloton has also stopped sale and distribution of the Tread+ and continues to work on additional hardware modifications. CPSC previously warned consumers about the Tread+ in April.

In the United States, the Tread was only sold as part of a limited invitation-only release from about November, 2020 to about March, 2021 and the company is currently working on a repair to be offered to Tread owners in the coming weeks.

Peloton Recalls Tread+ Treadmills After One Child Died and More than 70 Incidents Reported

Peloton Recalls Tread Treadmills Due to Risk of Injury

Statement of Robert S. Adler, Acting Chairman of the CPSC

I am pleased that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Peloton have come to an agreement to protect users of the Peloton Tread+ and Tread products. The agreement, which the Commission voted this morning to accept, requires Peloton to immediately stop selling and distributing both the Tread+ and Tread products in the United States and refund the full purchase price to consumers who wish to return their treadmills. The agreement between CPSC and Peloton is the result of weeks of intense negotiation and effort, culminating in a cooperative agreement that I believe serves the best interests of Peloton and of consumers. I would like to thank the CPSC technical staff who have worked tirelessly to protect consumers and to warn the public. Today we have taken steps to prevent further harm from these two products.

 Full statement from Robert S. Adler, Acting Chairman of the CPSC

Statement of Peloton’s CEO John Foley

The decision to recall both products was the right thing to do for Peloton’s Members and their families. I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+.  We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize. Today’s announcement reflects our recognition that, by working closely with the CPSC, we can increase safety awareness for our Members. We believe strongly in the future of at-home connected fitness and are committed to work with the CPSC to set new industry safety standards for treadmills. We have a desire and a responsibility to be an industry leader in product safety.”

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers to immediately stop using three models of adult portable bed rails manufactured by Bed Handles, Inc. These models (AJ1, BA10W, and BA11W) can create an entrapment hazard and pose a risk of asphyxia to users.

Because the manufacturer of these bed rails is no longer in business, the company cannot offer a remedy. Consumers are urged to immediately stop use of the products and dispose of the products.   

CPSC evaluated the bed rails and found that they can allow an individual to become entrapped between the bed rail and mattress, or within the portions of the bed rail itself, leading to asphyxia.  

These bed rails have been sold online at Walmart.com, MedontheGo.com, soymedical.com, bpimedicalsupply.com, sonomasurgical.com, and other online retailers for around $80 to $100. The products have also been found for sale on secondary sites, such as eBay.com. The model number can be found on a white label located on the bottom of the handle.

The CPSC announced a recall of a previous version of the bed rails in both 2014 and 2015, due to an entrapment hazard. These bed rails, manufactured between 1994 and 2007, were sold without retention straps. Four people died after becoming entrapped in the bed rail; all four victims were elderly or disabled individuals. Since 2007, the bed rails have been sold with retention straps, but CPSC has found that the straps do not adequately protect consumers.

CPSC urges consumers to stop using these bed rails and report any related incidents to the agency at www.SaferProducts.gov.

Washington, D.C. – As COVID-19 continues to shape our “new normal,” consumers are reminded to maintain social distancing and wear protective masks when in public or group settings. And now with spring upon us, flowers in the garden are not the only things blooming. Milder temperatures mean more of us will head outdoors for recreation and do-it-yourself home projects involving power tools, yard equipment and sports gear. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) encourages consumers to remain vigilant about avoiding hazards while at home, at play or at school. Whatever the activity, CPSC cautions consumers, always Do It Safely (D-I-S), and heed the following tips:  

• Keep children and pets at a safe distance when using power tools, lawn mowers, ladders, and electric or motorized recreational devices.
• Wear snug clothing, and remove jewelry or other accessories that might get caught in tools or machinery, and keep hands away from moving parts.
• Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from flying debris.
• When using table saws, be extra cautious. Always use the fence for rip cuts and the miter gauge for cross cuts. NEVER cut “free hand.” Incorrect guiding of the workpiece is a major cause of kickback and blade-contact injuries.
• Make sure all tools and machinery are in good condition or serviced, as needed.  Register equipment for warranty coverage and safety updates. Check for possible recalls at SaferProducts.gov.
• When engaged in activities that require a ladder (such as gutter cleaning, painting, and home repairs) – BEFORE you climb: place the ladder’s feet on solid and level ground to avoid falls, and be sure to have another adult on site who can act as a “spotter.”
• Keep ladders away from power lines and live wires to prevent electrocution.
• For more tips on staying safe when engaged in outdoor repairs, spring into action here.

Kids back in school?

• When playing sports, make sure to wear a helmet and other protective gear meant for that sport to prevent injuries. For more helmet tips, spring into action here.
• Is there a 3D printer at school? Be aware of possible hazards, such as burns, electric shocks and exposures to additives or chemicals that can affect indoor air quality. Make sure there is proper ventilation for the printer.

Kids still home?

As reflected in CPSC's COVID injuries report, emergency room-treated injuries rose for a number of products during the first seven months of the pandemic. Increased incidents included unintentional poisonings related to cleaning agents, soaps and detergents and injuries related to skateboards, scooters, hoverboards and ATVs.

Be sure to:

• Keep laundry and cleaning products stored in their original containers, locked up and away from children.
• Wear a helmet when riding a bike, skateboard or scooter. The proper helmet can significantly reduce the risk of head injury in the event of a fall.
• For more safety tips when playing outdoors, spring into action here.

Throughout the pandemic, CPSC has provided consumers with safety tips and information that can be found at our COVID-19 Safety Education Center. Remember, whatever the activity, Do It Safely.

Washington, D.C. – As COVID-19 continues to shape our “new normal,” consumers are reminded to maintain social distancing and wear protective masks when in public or group settings. And now with spring upon us, flowers in the garden are not the only things blooming. Milder temperatures mean more of us will head outdoors for recreation and do-it-yourself home projects involving power tools, yard equipment and sports gear. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) encourages consumers to remain vigilant about avoiding hazards while at home, at play or at school. Whatever the activity, CPSC cautions consumers, always Do It Safely (D-I-S), and heed the following tips:  

• Keep children and pets at a safe distance when using power tools, lawn mowers, ladders, and electric or motorized recreational devices.
• Wear snug clothing, and remove jewelry or other accessories that might get caught in tools or machinery, and keep hands away from moving parts.
• Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from flying debris.
• When using table saws, be extra cautious. Always use the fence for rip cuts and the miter gauge for cross cuts. NEVER cut “free hand.” Incorrect guiding of the workpiece is a major cause of kickback and blade-contact injuries.
• Make sure all tools and machinery are in good condition or serviced, as needed.  Register equipment for warranty coverage and safety updates. Check for possible recalls at SaferProducts.gov.
• When engaged in activities that require a ladder (such as gutter cleaning, painting, and home repairs) – BEFORE you climb: place the ladder’s feet on solid and level ground to avoid falls, and be sure to have another adult on site who can act as a “spotter.”
• Keep ladders away from power lines and live wires to prevent electrocution.
• For more tips on staying safe when engaged in outdoor repairs, spring into action here.

Kids back in school?

• When playing sports, make sure to wear a helmet and other protective gear meant for that sport to prevent injuries. For more helmet tips, spring into action here.
• Is there a 3D printer at school? Be aware of possible hazards, such as burns, electric shocks and exposures to additives or chemicals that can affect indoor air quality. Make sure there is proper ventilation for the printer.

Kids still home?

As reflected in CPSC's COVID injuries report, emergency room-treated injuries rose for a number of products during the first seven months of the pandemic. Increased incidents included unintentional poisonings related to cleaning agents, soaps and detergents and injuries related to skateboards, scooters, hoverboards and ATVs.

Be sure to:

• Keep laundry and cleaning products stored in their original containers, locked up and away from children.
• Wear a helmet when riding a bike, skateboard or scooter. The proper helmet can significantly reduce the risk of head injury in the event of a fall.
• For more safety tips when playing outdoors, spring into action here.

Throughout the pandemic, CPSC has provided consumers with safety tips and information that can be found at our COVID-19 Safety Education Center. Remember, whatever the activity, Do It Safely.

Note: Peloton issued a recall for this product on May 5, 2021.

Urgent Warning Comes After Agency Finds One Death and Dozens of Incidents of Children Being Sucked Beneath the Tread+ (Formerly Known as the Tread)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about the danger of popular Peloton Tread+ exercise machine after multiple incidents of small children and a pet being injured beneath the machines. The Commission has found that the public health and safety requires this notice to warn the public quickly of the hazard.

The urgent warning comes less than a month after Peloton itself released news of a child’s death by a Peloton Tread+ and CPSC’s announcement of an investigation into that incident.

The agency is continuing to investigate all known incidents of injury or death related to the Peloton Tread+.

To date, CPSC is aware of 39 incidents including one death. CPSC staff believes the Peloton Tread+ poses serious risks to children for abrasions, fractures, and death. In light of multiple reports of children becoming entrapped, pinned, and pulled under the rear roller of the product, CPSC urges consumers with children at home to stop using the product immediately. This video demonstrates the hazard to children posed by the Tread+. [Warning, video content may be disturbing to some viewers.] It is believed that at least one incident occurred while a parent was running on the treadmill, suggesting that the hazard cannot be avoided simply by locking the device when not in use. Reports of a pet and objects being sucked beneath the Tread+ also suggest possible harm to the user if the user loses balance as a result.

What should consumers do now?

• Stop using the Peloton Tread+ if there are small children or pets at home. Incidents suggest that children may be seriously injured while the Tread+ is being used by an adult, not just when a child has unsupervised access to the machine.
• If consumers must continue to use the product, CPSC urges consumers to use the product only in a locked room, to prevent access to children and pets while the treadmill is in use. Keep all objects, including exercise balls and other equipment, away from the treadmill.
• When not in use, unplug the Tread+ and store the safety key away from the device and out of reach of children.
• Report any Peloton Tread+ incidents to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov or to CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772.

Tread+ treadmills are sold directly to consumers via retail showrooms, and online at www.onepeloton.com.

Model No. TR-01 was called “Tread” from August 2018 to September 2020, when it was renamed “Tread+”.

Link to broadcast quality video for media: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/blKOH6LRIk

For media questions, please email: jmartyak@cpsc.gov or pdavis@cpsc.gov.

Under section 6(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act, CPSC is required to include with this press release any comments or other information or a summary thereof. Accordingly, here is a summary of the company’s statement.

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s unilateral press release about the Peloton Tread+ treadmill is inaccurate and misleading. The Tread+ is safe for Members to use in their homes and comes with safety instructions and warnings to ensure its safe use. Like all motorized exercise equipment, the Tread+ can pose hazards if the warnings and safety instructions are not followed. The Tread+ is not for children under 16. Peloton warns Members not to let children use the Tread+ and to keep children, pets, and objects away from the Tread+ at all times. Any owner of a treadmill – whether made by Peloton or not – should follow these warnings, as they are included in the applicable safety standards, which the Peloton Tread+ meets.”