Kick Off a Safer Summer for Your Family

News provided by

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Jun 21, 2019, 13:48 ET

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2019/Kick-Off-a-Safer-Summer-for-Your-Family

As summer begins, millions of Americans celebrate holidays and enjoy more outdoor activities. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges consumers to keep safety in mind around pools and at the beach, on the playground, cooking on the grill, mowing the lawn and while riding on bikes, scooters, and ATVs or ROVs.

Make a splash with pool safety.

Drowning remains the leading cause of unintentional death among children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause among children ages 5-14. Drownings can be prevented by following some simple safety steps:

Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa, and keep them away from drains.
Learn how to swim, and teach your child how to swim.
Drain covers -- Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal safety standards. Children can get entrapped by the suction in older, non-compliant drain covers.
Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults

Turn up the grill safety measures.

The National Fire Protection Association states that an average of 10,200 home fires per year involve grills, hibachis, or barbecues. Following a few safety measures can help reduce fire dangers while grilling:

Safety check -- Before lighting the grill, do a safety check. Visually inspect the hoses on a gas grill for cracking, brittleness, holes, and leaks.
Clean the grease trap -- Ensure that the grease trap is clean to reduce the risk of flare-ups and grease fires.
Use grills outside only, in a well-ventilated area. Never use a grill indoors, or in a garage, breezeway, carport, porch, or under a surface that will burn.
Never leave a grill unattended, and keep children away from the grill area.
Grill brushes --Prevent stray wire grill brush strands from ending up in your food. Clean your grill with a ball of aluminum foil or nylon brushes, instead of wire grill brushes.
For tips on cooking food safely, check USDA and FDA's websites.

Gear up and ride safely.

Each year, thousands of ATV, bicycle, e-scooter, and skateboard riders – young and old – die or experience life-altering injuries. CPSC recommends that all riders follow these safety guidelines every time they ride:

Gear-up before riding. This means putting on a helmet meant for your activity. When bicycling, properly wear a helmet that complies with CPSC's federal safety standard for bicycle helmets. In addition to a helmet, wear elbow and knee pads while riding scooters and skateboards.
See and be seen. Ride bicycles in the direction of traffic, obey traffic signs and signals, and stay alert.
Wear additional safety gear when riding ATVs and ROVs, including a DOT-compliant helmet and other protective gear, such as eye protection, boots, gloves, long pants and long-sleeved shirts.
Do not drive ATVs or ROVs on paved surfaces. Ride on designated trails and at a safe speed.
Use age-appropriate vehicles. Riders younger than 16 should only drive age-appropriate, youth-model ATVs, never adult models or ROVs.

Also, beware of other dangers during summer activity.

Hot playground equipment --Check for hot playground equipment surfaces before letting your children play.
Mowing the lawn --When mowing the lawn, dress properly with substantial shoes, long pants and fitted clothes. Keep children away from the mowing area, and always be on the lookout for children who may have ventured into the mowing area.
Beach umbrellas --Spike your beach umbrella pole into the sand, and firmly rock it back and forth until it's buried about 2 feet into the sand and is tilted into the wind to keep it from blowing away and injuring someone.
Recalled products --Check SaferProducts.gov to see if any of the products you own have been recalled.

About U.S. CPSC:
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.

For more lifesaving information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC or sign up to receive our e-mail alerts. 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.

CPSC Consumer Information Hotline
Contact us at this toll-free number if you have questions about a recall:
800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054)
Times: 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime
Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products.

Media Contact
Please use the phone numbers below for all media requests.
Phone: 301-504-7908
Spanish: 301-504-7800

Release Number: 19-143

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission