CPSC Reports Increase in Fireworks-Related Deaths and Injuries in 2013

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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Jun 26, 2014, 09:35 ET

WASHINGTON, June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to celebrate safely. A new CPSC study issued today highlights an increase in the number of fireworks-related deaths and injuries. Device malfunction and improper use are associated with the most injuries.

In 2013, there were eight deaths and an estimated 11,400 consumers who sustained injuries related to fireworks. This is an increase from 8,700 injuries in 2012. Sixty-five percent, or 7,400, of the injuries in 2013 occurred in the 30 days surrounding July 4, 2013. CPSC staff reviewed fireworks incident reports from hospital emergency rooms, death certificate files, news clippings and other sources to estimate deaths, injuries and incident scenarios. Injuries were frequently the result of the user playing with lit fireworks or igniting fireworks while holding the device. Consumers also reported injuries related to devices that malfunctioned or devices that did not work as expected, including injuries due to errant flight paths, devices that tipped over and blowouts.

"CPSC works year-round to help prevent deaths and injuries from legal and illegal fireworks," said Acting Chairman Bob Adler. "We engage the fireworks industry, monitor incoming fireworks shipments at the ports, and enforce federal safety rules, so that all Americans have a safe Fourth of July."

Last year, children younger than age 5 experienced a higher estimated per capita injury rate than any other age group. Past reports indicate that consumers sometimes feel comfortable handing off to children fireworks devices perceived to be less powerful, such as sparklers and bottle rockets. In 2013, sparklers and rockets accounted for more than 40 percent of all estimated injuries.

According to the report, fireworks incidents become deadly when banned, professional and home-manufactured devices are involved. In each of the eight fireworks-related deaths recorded in 2013, the victim was manipulating (or was a bystander to someone who was handling) a banned, professional or home-manufactured device.

CPSC enforces the mandatory fireworks requirements in the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) and the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) , by working with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Department of Justice. Together, these agencies monitor products entering the country, stop illegal use and distribution of fireworks and prosecute violators of the federal requirements.

CPSC and CBP staff sampled and tested a select number of imported fireworks in 2013. Of those tested, 33 percent were noncompliant with federal regulations. Violations most often involved overloaded report composition and failure to meet fuse burn-time requirements. These violative devices never reached the shelves of American stores or fireworks stands.

Consumers who decide to purchase legal fireworks are urged to take the following safety steps:

Make sure the fireworks you want to buy are legal in your area before buying or using them.
Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers. Parents may not realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees─hot enough to melt some metals.
Always have an adult close by to supervise fireworks activities if older children are allowed to handle devices.
Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper, which is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and could pose a danger to consumers.
Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
Never try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Soak them with water and throw them away.
Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
Light fireworks one at a time, then move away from them quickly.
Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding the device to prevent a trash fire.
ATF encourages the public to report the manufacture or sale of illegal fireworks to your local law enforcement agencies or to the ATF hotline at 1-888-ATF-BOMB (1-888-283-2662).

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals – contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @USCPSC or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.

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SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission