Pool and Water Safety

CPSC Reminds Pool Owners that Barriers Prevent Drowning

The dream of owning a home with a swimming pool can become a nightmare when a young child drowns in that family pool. About 300 children under 5 years old drown each year in residential pools nationwide. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds pool owners, especially those with small children, there are steps they can take to help prevent these deaths.

Prevent Drownings of Young Children

The arrival of hot weather around much of the nation means many people are now opening the family pool for the summer. Pool owners and parents, especially those with young children, should always keep in mind the hazards a pool can pose. A young child can drown quickly and silently, often without any splashing or screaming. It can happen in just the few minutes it takes to answer the telephone.

CPSC Issues Warning for Pools, Spas, and Hot Tubs

The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is alerting consumers and public health officials to steps they can take to reduce entrapment deaths and injuries associated with pools, spas, and hot tubs. The main hazard from hot tubs and spas is the same as that from pools - drowning. Since 1980, CPSC has reports of more than 700 deaths in spas and hot tubs. About one-third of those were drownings to children under age five.Other hazards include body part entrapment and hair entanglement.

Controlling Swimming Pool Accidents Precautions That Can Help Improve Safety

During the hot summer days, many people will turn to swimming pools to cool off. Unfortunately, many swimmers are injured in pool-related accidents. This article offers many tips to help prevent accidents in swimming pools for both public and private use.

How To Plan For The Unexpected - Prevent Child Drownings

In some of the nation's sunbelt, drowning has been the leading cause of accidental death in the home of children under 5 years old. The information in this article from the from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, can help parents and caregivers provide young children with the protection they deserve.

Backyard Pool: Always Supervise Children,Safety Commission Warns

According to the CPSC, an estimated 260 children under five years of age drown each year in residential swimming pools and spas. The Commission estimates that another 3,000 children under age five are treated in hospital emergency rooms following submersion accidents each year.The CPSC offers specific tips for pool owners in this article.

Drowning Rates Are Highest In Summer

According to the authors, each year, more than 900 teenagers drown. With that in mind, this article provides sound recommendations for parents to follow to protect and to educate their children about the dangers of drowning. The information here is relevant to all families, not just those with teenagers.

Traveling and Vacation Safety

Crib Safety Initiative for Hotels and Resorts

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National SAFE KIDS Campaign today announced a crib and play yard safety initiative to keep children safe when traveling with their families. Recent spot checks by SAFE KIDS found unsafe cribs and play yards in 80 percent of hotels and motels visited.

Have a Safe Trip: Here's How

Whether you are planning a long or short trip, Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle offers some traveling, heat and hiking tips to help make your summer vacation more safe and enjoyable.

Safety Checklist for the Family Vacation

Family vacations are a time to relax, but parents need to remain on the lookout for child safety hazards. With America's peak vacation weeks just around the corner, the Window Covering Safety Council has issued a safety checklist for vacationing families staying in a rental cottage or cabin.

Holiday Travel Safety Tips

Just in time for holiday traveling, here are some helpful safety tips for preparing the family car for safe holiday road trips.

Tips to Keep Your Beach and Lake Vacations Safe

Simple reminders to keep these safety tips in mind when playing around water.

Sports Safety

Baseball and Softball Safety

Each year, more than 125,000 baseball and softball players under age 15 are injured badly enough to seek treatment in hospital emergency departments. To help your child avoid injuries while playing baseball or softball, follow these safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and other sports and health organizations.

Helmet Use on the Rise, But Half of All Riders Still Not Wearing Helmets

As part of a national bike helmet safety campaign, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in partnership with the McDonald's Corp., released survey results showing an increase in bike helmet usage from 18 percent in 1991 to 50 percent in 1998. The survey also shows that half of all bicyclists never or infrequently wear helmets when they ride, putting them at increased risk of serious head injuries.

CPSC Announces All-Terrain Vehicle Safety Programs

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety programs that Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.; Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.; American Suzuki Motor Corp.; Polaris Industries Inc.; and Arctic Cat Inc. are undertaking.

CPSC Releases Study of Protective Equipment for Baseball

The CPSC announced that safety equipment for baseball could significantly reduce the amount and severity of 58,000 (or almost 36 percent of) baseball-related injuries to children each year. This study includes extensive detailed information that lead to their conclusions.

CPSC Releases Bicycle Safety Tips

Each year, there are about 900 bicycle-related deaths in the United States and another half a million bicycle-related injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms. To reduce injuries, CPSC encourages riders of all ages to use helmets. Studies have shown that using bicycle helmets can reduce head injuries by up to 85 percent.

CPSC Urges Bicyclists to Wear Helmets

With many families' "back-to-school" preparations well underway, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urges parents to include bicycle helmets on the list of items for those youngsters planning to bike to school. Each year about 1,200 bicyclists are killed and more than half a million bicycle-related injuries are treated in hospital emergency rooms. About one-third of these deaths and two-thirds of the injuries involve school age children under the age of 15. Some of these deaths and injuries could have been prevented if the rider had been wearing a helmet.

Wear Helmets To Prevent Sports Related Head Injuries

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that about 3 million head injuries related to consumer products were treated in hospital emergency rooms in 1988. About 440,000 of these were injuries such as concussions and skull fractures. Many of these accidents happened when helmets could have been worn.

Kids Speak Out on Bike Helmets

This is an interesting and amusing article about kids' opinions about bicycle helmets. It gives the facts, ideas about how to ensure your child wears his or her helmet and it has some great quotes from kids.

Hazards With Inline Roller Skates

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns that inline roller skating--a popular new sport--can be hazardous if skaters do not wear helmets and other protective equipment or do not learn to skate and stop safely. As use of in-line roller skates has increased, it appears that the number of injuries also has increased.

Sun Safety

Parents on Right Sun Safety Track: But Still Room for Improvement

Most parents have gotten the word about sun safety, but there's still room for improvement especially compared to making sure their children wear their seat belts, eat their fruits and vegetables or wash their hands.

ADA Study Identifies Most Common Sun Protection Activities For Children

A study conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) determined that nearly 75% of adults practiced one or more sun protection behaviors with the children, ranging in age from newborn to 12 years old, in their care.

Use Sunscreens as Part of Sun Safety Program Dermatology

The American Academy of Dermatology urges Americans not to decrease their sunscreen use following a report this week at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) questioning the protective benefits of sunscreen.

Playground Safety

Playground Safety Signs Are Important

Do you know what signs should be on playground equipment? Read this article to learn how these signs can help keep your child safety - whether it's at school, at home or at the local park.

Playground Safety - Equipment Play and Appropriate Behavior

Part of being safe on a playground, is knowing how to behave and how to use the equipment correctly. Here are some helpful suggestions for parents to help protect their children.

Playground Safety - What You Can Do

Playground safety has become an increasingly important issue in the past several years. This article focuses on how parental supervision can reduce the risk of playground accidents.

Home Playground Safety Tips

Each year, about 200,000 children are treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for playground equipment-related injuries - an estimated 148,000 of these injuries involve public playground equipment and an estimated 51,000 involve home playground equipment. Here's a list of home playground safety tips.

Playgrounds: Keeping Outdoor Learning Safe

With summer approaching, young children will be eager to take more of their educational play outside. Parents and teachers may use these tips to promote playground safety and provide children with an outdoor environment that helps them learn and enjoy.

How Can We Provide Safe Playgrounds?

Outdoor playgrounds can be exciting places where children explore their environment while developing motor and social skills; however, they also can pose serious safety hazards. This brochure discusses common playground hazards and recommends actions that parents and others can take to increase playground safety.

Playground Surfacing Materials

The surface under and around playground equipment can be a major factor in determining the injury-causing potential of a fall. This article from the CPSC provides specific details for assessing and installing a playground surface.

Ten Steps Toward a Safer Playground

Use this checklist to inspect your local school or community playground

Playground Safety Tips

This article complements "Playground Safety in Everyone's Responsibility" and it includes a good checklist for parents to use.

Fireworks Safety

Enjoy Fireworks Safely: Tips for Celebrating on the Fourth

People everywhere are fascinated by fireworks -- by the mystery and splendor that light the night sky or turn a backyard into a festival of light and sound. Like nothing else, fireworks can excite, thrill and amaze us. But as dazzling as fireworks can be, they can also be harmful if used improperly. The National Council on Fireworks Safety (NCFS) urges you to put safety first when celebrating this Fourth of July.

Fireworks

Fireworks are an important part of our Independence Day celebrations. But these displays also result in numerous injuries to participants and bystanders alike. In the United States, fireworks cause approximately 2,000 eye injuries each year. About one-third of these results in permanent eye damage and one-fourth in permanent vision loss or blindness. The American Academy of Ophthalmology encourages you to view public fireworks displays rather than put on your own show. If you do use fireworks, however, protect your eyes using these recommendations.

Toys, Play

CPSC Summary List of Dangerous Recalled Toys

This is the summary list of toys, description of problems and contact information for recalled toys still being used by consumers. These are toys that have been recalled in 1998 and 1999.

Learning Through Water Play

This publication from the National Association for the Education of Young Children includes suggestions for parents and caregivers for safe, fun and educational water play. Ideas include safety precautions, games, and materials that can be used during play.

General

Summer Safety Tips from Children's Hospital and Medical Center

Now that most children are out of school and on break, summer brings endless hours of sun and fun. Yet it's also an opportunity for both small and serious injuries from playground falls to drownings. Here are some safety tips from Children's Hospital and Medical Center that will help keep your child's summer a safe one.

Eye Safety

Eye Health Tips for Summer Fun in the Sun

Sunglasses aren't just accessories for the summer, they are necessary protection for your eyes, according to the National Consumers League. Consumers know about the danger of sun exposure to the skin, but many are unaware that the sun's rays can damage the eyes. According to experts, UV-A and UV-B radiation can damage vision. Consumers can protect their eyes simply: Wear sunglasses that block out 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B.

Safety in the Heat

Some Timely Tips To Beat This Week's Heat

When the weather gets hot, it's time for a quick review of ways to stay cool and to prevent heat related problems. The tips in this article, while written for the elderly, apply to children and families as well.

Soaring Temperatures Pose Deadly Threat to Children

Exposure to hot weather could be potentially life-threatening to children. Summer heat can raise temperatures to deadly levels, especially inside of a car. This article warns as temperatures soar, parents and caregivers need to take extra precautions when traveling with children.