CPSC and CNA Join Together to Offer Free Home Childproofing Brochure

February 23, 1999
Release # 99-066

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For Immediate Release;
Contact: Nychelle Fleming
(301) 504-0580 Ext. 1192

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and CNA, a major insurance organization, are joining together to offer a free brochure highlighting low-cost safety devices for making homes safer for young children. CPSC estimates that more than 2.5 million young children are injured or killed each year in often-preventable incidents at home.

Childproofing Your Home: 12 Safety Devices to Protect Your Children, is a colorful, easy-to read brochure that offers helpful suggestions to childproof furniture, rooms and other areas of the home. The brochure puts special emphasis on safeguarding children up to 5 years old.

This brochure provides potentially lifesaving suggestions to eliminate many home hazards, and includes a list of 12 recommended low-cost childproofing safety devices. These devices include safety latches on kitchen and bathroom cabinets to prevent poisonings, corner bumpers on furniture to prevent injuries from falls against the sharp edges, anti-scald devices for faucets to prevent burns and safety tassels for window blind cords to prevent strangulations in blind cord loops. Most of the devices can be purchased for $20 or less at grocery or hardware stores.

"This brochure will tell parents about safety devices that will help keep children safe in their homes," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown in testimony

before the House Appropriations Committee today. "This is the kind of partnership that helps us get our life-saving information to the American public."

"Eliminating common home hazards is one of the most important steps a parent or grandparent can take to ensure a happy, healthy, safe environment for young children," said CNA President Philip Engel. "We heartily encourage everyone with young children in their homes to consider these inexpensive safety tips."

Order Childproofing Your Home: 12 Safety Devices to Protect Your Children, Item 618F by contacting the Consumer Information Center. Call the center toll-free at 1 (888) 8-PUEBLO, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, or send your name and address to Consumer Information Center, Dept. 618F, Pueblo, Colorado 81009. You also will receive a free copy of the Consumer Information Catalog, which lists more than 200 free and low-cost federal publications about a variety of consumer topics.

CNA is among the top 10 U.S. insurance groups based on 1998 revenues of $17.1 billion. Headquartered in Chicago, CNA serves individuals and businesses with a broad range of insurance products and insurance-related services. CNA is on the World Wide Web at www.cna.com. CNA is the registered service mark, trade name and domain name of CNA Financial Corporation.

CPSC protects the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death from 15,000 kinds of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC s hotline at (800) 638-2772. Consumers also can report product hazards or obtain recall information at CPSC s web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.