WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer is quickly coming to anend and parents and children natio...

1. CPSC Reminds Parents to Keep Safety in Mind When
Sending Children Back to School.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer is quickly coming to an
end and parents and children nationwide are preparing for another school
year. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding
parents to take precautions to keep children safe when they head back to
school.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO )
"As you prepare to send your child back to school, parents
should arm themselves with important safety tips that can help keep your
child in the classroom and out of a hospital emergency room," said
CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord.
Drawstrings on Children's Clothing
One hazard to watch for is drawstrings on children's clothing.
This hidden hazard can lead to deaths and injuries because drawstrings
can catch on such items as playground equipment. Over the past 20
years, CPSC received reports of 23 deaths and 64 non-fatal incidents
involving the entanglement of children's clothing drawstrings.
CPSC recommends that parents or caregivers only buy upper outerwear
without hood and neck drawstrings. If you find children's clothing
with drawstrings in your home, completely remove the hood and neck

2. drawstrings from all children's upper outerwear, including jackets
and sweatshirts, size 2T through size 12.
Wear the Right Helmet
Rather than ride the bus, many children ride bikes, scooters and
skateboards to school. To reduce the risk of serious head injury or
death, children should wear a helmet -- and it is important to wear the
appropriate helmet for your sport.
About 800 people, approximately 180 children, died in
bicycle-related incidents in a recent year. More than half of the
500,000 bicycle-related emergency room-treated injuries in 2005 involved
children under the age of 15. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of a
head injury by up to 85 percent.
* Look for a label inside the bicycle helmet indicating it meets the CPSC
standard. Other sport helmets, including those for skateboarders and
football players, have labeling certifying compliance with other
standards.
* CPSC has a new publication entitled "Which Helmet for Which Activity."
This brochure is a useful guide to parents and includes helmet
information on sports kids play at every age level. Copies of this free
publication are available at http://www.cpsc.gov/.

3. * Be aware of local laws pertaining to the use of pocket bikes and
scooters, and do not ride on streets or in driveways. Many cities and
communities have specific areas where scooters are permissible. Other
communities prohibit entirely the riding of pocket bikes or motorized
scooters.
Here are additional tips from CPSC for Back-to-School Safety:
Playgrounds: Each year, more than 200,000 children are taken to hospital
emergency rooms due to playground-related injuries. Most injuries occur
when a child falls onto the playground surface.
* There should be a layer of safe, shock absorbing surface material,
consisting of wood chips, mulch, sand, pea gravel, or mats made of
safety-tested rubber or fiber material around playground equipment.
* Make sure there is no exposed hardware to catch clothing and no free-
hanging ropes attached to the equipment, which could cause
strangulation.
* For additional information on playground safety, see CPSC's Handbook for
Public Playground Safety.
Soccer Goals: Movable soccer goals can fall over and kill or injure
children who climb on them or hang from the crossbar. Over the past 25
years, CPSC has reports of at least 28 deaths associated with soccer

4. goals.
* Make sure soccer goals are securely anchored when in use.
* Never allow children to climb on the soccer net or goal framework.
* When not in use, anchor goals or chain them to a nearby fence post or
sturdy framework.
Art Supplies: CPSC has recalled a variety of art materials over the years
due to sharp tools; accessible lead in crayons, chalk and paint; and other
hazards.
* Only buy art materials that contain the statement, "CONFORMS TO ASTM D-
4236."
Many states have tax-free holidays prior to schools opening. Take
advantage of this time to buy safe clothing and supplies for back to
school.
Parents should talk to school officials to make sure the
school's equipment complies with all federal, state and local
standards and requirements. In addition, CPSC urges parents and schools
to check for recalled products or report a dangerous product or a
product-related injury by calling CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772
or visit http://www.cpsc.gov/.

5. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with
protecting the public from
unreasonable risks of serious injury or
death
from more than 15,000 types of
consumer products under the
agency's
jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and
property damage from consumer
product incidents cost the nation more
than $700 billion annually. The
CPSC is committed to protecting
consumers and families from products
that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or
mechanical hazard. The
CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products -- such as
toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals --
contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of
deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30
years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call
CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at
(800) 638-8270 or visit CPSC's Web site at
http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Consumers can obtain this release and
recall information at CPSC's Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/.
CONTACT: CPSC Media Contact: +1-301-504-7908

6. Web site: http://www.cpsc.gov/