A recent announcement by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) suggests that toy shopping for little ones should be easier this year when it comes to worrying about safe products. It is the opinion of the agency that stronger safety rules for toy products are putting children less at risk of toy-related injuries in New York and nationwide.
Toy recalls may be down in fiscal year 2011 but our New York City defective toy product accident attorneys know that far too many children are still injured because not every toy on the market gets tested against federal standards. Toys placed on retailer shelves fall through the cracks far too frequently before a defect is detected and causes a child serious injury.
Several safeguards for toy manufacturers have been put into place recently. One safeguard is that lower lead content and lead paint limits have been established. The use of certain phthalates has been strictly limited. What used to be voluntary toy standards have now been converted into mandatory standards. Toys meant for children 12 and under are now required to have third-party testing and certification done on them. Lastly, stricter standards are being met with tracking shipments from other countries with the intent of seizing imported toys that are deemed dangerous.
As a result of these safeguards, there has been a significant decline in toy recalls since 2008. There were 34 toy recalls in fiscal year 2011, 46 toy recalls in 2010, 50 toy recalls in 2009 and 172 toy recalls in 2008.
Fewer recalls should translate to fewer toy-related deaths in small children. On the contrary, there were 17 toy-related fatalities for children 15 and under in 2010 compared to 15 reported deaths for the same age group in 2009. The majority of deaths are related to choking incidents with small balls or balloons.
The CPSC also recently reported that there were 181,500 toy-related injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms for children 15 and under in 2010. One thing hasn’t changed, which is non-motorized scooters remain the leading cause of child injuries related to toys. Many children showed up at emergency rooms with cuts, contusions or abrasions to their head and face from a toy-related accident.
Consumer tips for toy gift shopping this holiday season:
-Never purchase balloons for children under 8 years old. Balloons cause a severe choking hazard for small children, especially when deflated or broken.
-Magnets are easy for small children to place in their mouth and cause them to choke or potentially die from swallowing. Stay away from toys or play sets containing small magnets.
-When purchasing a scooter, inline skates or skate board, don’t forget to buy the helmet, elbow and knee pads that go with it.
-Children under 3 should never be given small balls or toys that can easily fit in their mouth.
Once gifts are open, parents should get rid of plastic wrapping, tissue paper or excess cardboard that gifts are wrapped in. Don’t allow toys appropriate for certain age groups to be mixed or shared among siblings. Always supervise your children when they start playing with a new toy to reduce the risk of injury caused by a potential defective product.
Contact the defective product accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC, for a free consultation to discuss your claim when a child has been injured in a toy-related accident. We represent victims in Queens, Manhattan and throughout New York so call 1-877-313-ROSE (7673) to speak to an experienced injury lawyer today.
More Blog Entries:
Holidays Bring Risk of Defective Product Injury in New York, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, October 28, 2011.
Defective Cribs a Tragic Danger Facing New York Infants, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, February 5, 2011.
