School Safety Alert

Previously recalled products are one of the top hidden hazards in the home. Most recall information never reaches a family until tragedy strikes. Tens of millions of children are needlessly exposed to unsafe products, toys and foods that have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This is why National PTA has partnered with Consumer Reports and the National School Boards Association to form the School Safety Alert Program. The School Safety Alert program located at www.consumerreports.org/schoolsafety will alert parents, school administrators, and educators immediately to imminent dangers and allow them to remove potentially dangerous even lethal products from their homes and schools.

As part of this partnership, Consumer Reports and National PTA provide you with the following frequently updated safety tips and product recalls.

November Safety Tip:

The pull cords on some older window blinds, shades and curtains have loops that could be dangerous. These loops should be cut to eliminate the risk of strangulation. This hazard isn't limited to older window cords. Over the past two months, The Consumer Product Safety Commission today announced the recall of over 6.5 million window blinds and shades because the cords pose a strangulation hazard. Three children actually died in these window blinds and several others suffered near strangulations. All of these shades and blinds were recently for sale in popular stores across the country. Check www.consumerreports.org/schoolsafety to find out if you have some of these recalled and potentially dangerous window blinds or shades. If you have them, remove them immediately and return them to your place of purchase.

Other Safety Tips:

Backpack safety: Prevent back injuries by making sure your child’s backpack is fitted properly and is not too large or too heavy. Children should wear backpacks on both shoulders to distribute the weight evenly and they should carry no more than about 10 to 15 percent of their body weight. Cut excess straps to avoid tripping hazards. Don’t let loose ends of straps dangle where they can become tripping hazards or get stuck on school bus or elevator doors.

Beware of drawstrings: Drawstrings on garments such as jackets, hoodies, sweatshirts or sweatpants can lead to strangulation or entanglement, especially on playground equipment. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regularly recalls children’s outerwear that have drawstring and fines the retailers that sell them. If your child has outer garments with drawstrings, remove them and report your finding to the CPSC.

Dangerous window blind cords: In a recent 14-year period, about 200 children died after getting caught in window blind cords. The CPSC recently announce a major recall of 5.5 million dangerous window blinds and shades after the death of three children and the near strangulation of at least seven others. The recall includes window blinds and shades sold at Target, Ikea, Pottery Barn Kids and other retailers. See the link below for more information on this recall.

For more safety tips and for important recall information including the recall information listed above, go to http://www.consumerreports.org/schoolsafety.