Home Security: Guns Are NOT on the Accidents List

Josey1

Home security The government has published a list of products that cause the most injuries in the home. Most of us are familiar with the axiom, "most accidents occur in the home." Well, for the first time, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has released a list of the products that are the biggest culprits in causing those accidents in or around the home.A CPSC spokeswoman said that the agency is hopeful the list will help reduce the number of injuries. "Our office was seeing the same injuries year after year," said Becky Baily. "We do a good job of getting recalled products off store shelves. What is harder is getting products out of people's homes or educating them to get them repaired."Some of the leading causes of injuries:Candles. That are about 11,000 candle-related fires each year, resulting in 150 deaths and 1,200 injuries, according to the CPSC.Old storage chests that lock automatically. Children can be locked inside.Smoke alarms with dead batteries. You lose your warning system.Window-blind cords with loops that can strangle children.Old cribs with openings in the side that are too wide.Cribs with soft bedding that can cause suffocation.Old playpens that tend to collapse or fold easily.Older-model chest freezers with automatic latches.Backyard play sets on hard-packed earth, concrete or asphalt rather than mulch, wood chips, sand or shredded rubber.Babies sleeping on their stomach, which increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.Children choking on toys with small parts.Holiday lights without a testing label, which means they might be a fire hazard.Babies left in or near water by themselves, even for a moment.Drawstrings on the hood and neck of children's jackets and sweatshirts, which can strangle.Not wearing helmets on bicycles, skateboards, scooters and Rollerblades.- The Washington PostONLINE: Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov http://web.star-telegram.com/content/fortworth/2002/01/15/usenews/fw010108-0115-XA002-1.htm