Make Spring Time a Safe Time!

News provided by

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Mar 20, 2019, 09:23 ET

WASHINGTON, March 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

https://onsafety.cpsc.gov/blog/2019/03/19/make-spring-time-a-safe-time/

It's spring again! That means families can enjoy more outdoor activities as well as do some spring cleaning around the home. As you remove old clutter and make room for new items, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is encouraging consumers to spring clean for safety. Follow these tips to keep you and your family spring time safe!

If you are cleaning:

Keep household cleaners, laundry packets and medicines out of sight and out of reach of little ones in your home. Ingesting these can lead to unintentional poisoning and can have tragic results.

If doing yardwork:

Keep children away while you are mowing the lawn to keep them safe. Make sure your lawnmower and yard tools are in good condition and ready for spring yardwork. Damaged tools can become a shock or fire hazard when wiring, motors, or other electrical parts begin to wear.

Getting up on a ladder to clean gutters, paint or to do repairs?

Before you climb place the ladder's feet on solid level ground to avoid falls and make sure you have a spotter. Keep the ladder away from power lines and live electrical wires to prevent electrocution.

It can be tricky, but be vigilant about counterfeits:

Counterfeit products often look the same as the genuine product, but they can introduce dangers and even deadly hazards into your home. CPSC is working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to spot counterfeits at the nation's ports, but it's important for consumers to be vigilant as well.

When buying a new bicycle helmet to go with your child's new bicycle this spring, make sure the helmet meets CPSC's mandatory safety standard. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of a serious head injury for both children and adults.

Will part of you spring cleaning include changing your refrigerator water filter? Only purchase water filters that are appropriate for your appliance and that are from manufacturers you trust. Counterfeit refrigerator water filters could lack the materials to properly filter out contaminants.

Finally, be sure to check CPSC.gov or download the CPSC Recall App for an up-to-date list of recalled products. Remember, make spring time a safe time.

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

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission