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Industry Group Warns: Babies and Buckets an Unsafe Combination |
SourceThe Plastic Shipping Container Institute
ForumsHealth, Safety, Nutrition and KidsRelated ArticlesA Hidden Hazard In The Home Infants & Toddlers Can Drown in 5-Gallon BucketsBaby Product Safety Tips: Safety Alert Information and news releases furnished by the members of PR Newswire, who are responsible for their fact and content. |
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OCONOMOWOC, Wisc., Oct. 1,1997 -- Turning your back on a child and a five-gallon bucket with liquid in it is as dangerous as leaving a baby alone in a bathtub or by a swimming pool, warns the Plastic Shipping Container Institute. Curiosity, Top-Heaviness Contribute to RiskTop-heavy toddlers' newfound ability to crawl and walk, combined with their desire to explore and test their limits, put them at risk of toppling into a bucket and drowning, according to child development experts. In the time that it takes a parent or caregiver to answer the phone or go to the door, a child can lean over a bucket, fall in headfirst and quickly drown. Because babies have not yet developed motor skills or upper body strength, they cannot pull themselves out of a bucket. While no child should be left unwatched with a bucket, incidents most often have involved toddlers between eight and 24 months, with a higher rate among boys than girls. Typically, the bucket is being used for cleaning in a kitchen or bathroom. Forty-one percent of incidents have involved African- American children; 26 percent involved Hispanic children. Bucket Safety PrecautionsTo avoid putting a child at risk of drowning in a five-gallon bucket, the Plastic Shipping Container Institute recommends following these precautions:
Free Safety Poster AvailableThe Plastic Shipping Container Institute offers a free, color poster illustrating the danger of toddler bucket drownings. To order the poster, which is available in English or Spanish, call 1-800-203-9200.
CONTACT: Jenifer Shockley of Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart, |