Old, unsafe products
are still in useEvents aim to remove dangerous
consumer items from isle homesSome unsafe products
Federal, state, county and private agencies are collaborating in a campaign urging residents to repair or destroy products in their homes that can cause injuries or deaths.
Consumers continue to use potentially deadly products despite recall notices and warnings, said David Cheng, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission investigator, Honolulu Field Office.
The commission is kicking off its annual Recall Round-up campaign by working with other organizations to alert consumers to dangerous products and help them repair or destroy them.
A list of dangerous products is posted on the commission's Web site, www.cpsc.gov.
The commission can take hazardous products off store shelves, but residents must be proactive to make their homes safe, Cheng said.
The agencies are joining with the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition to hold a safety fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Toys-R-Us in Aiea.
Cheng said recalled products will be on display and many safety areas covered, including crib and home safety, car seats, water safety, poison prevention and anything to do with wheels, such as bicycles or skateboarding.
The Honolulu Fire Department's Keiki Firehouse will be available for children to practice evacuation.
Cheng said the CPSC works regularly with the Fire Department to follow up on cases, such as the fire that destroyed a family home in Kalihi on Tuesday when a 3-year-old boy played with a lighter.
"We look at lighters and follow up with manufacturers to see if they meet standards," Cheng said. "Incidents help us to understand if standards need to be changed."
Capt. Kenison Tejada, Fire Department spokesman, said people are encouraged to go to the commission's Web site for a list of dangerous products commonly found in their homes. "It's a great place to go to learn something that will keep your family a lot more safe."
One of the big problems, Cheng said, is that people often purchase recalled or unsafe products at garage sales or thrift shops, and they do not know they have been recalled.
"This has resulted in needless tragedies such as deaths or serious injuries and property damage," he said. "It's a story we tell over and over, but it happens over and over, that they didn't know it was recalled and if they did, they would never have used it."
For the first year of the recall campaign, the focus also is on older consumers, Cheng said.
Alicia Maluafiti, AARP associate state director, said chapters will work with about 1,500 volunteers to distribute checklists to senior homes and possibly be trained to conduct free home consultations and inspections and remove hazardous items.
They also may be asked to present the Recall Round-up campaign to other senior clubs and centers "because David is a one-man shop," she said.
"We have great commitment by volunteers to promote home safety and to educate seniors and enrich their lives, not only for themselves, but the keiki, grandchildren, who could be impacted by items in the home."
The state Department of Human Services will visit child-care facilities to look for recalled products and hazards and educate caregivers, Cheng said.
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Out-of-date products
lack key safety features
Here are some of the hazardous products listed on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site, and the suggested corrective action:
>> Old power tools made before the 1980s, which may not have safety features and can cause electrocutions. They should be discarded, not given to thrift stores or sold at garage sales.
>> Old extension cords (power strips and surge protectors) that can cause fires or deaths from shock. Residents should look for cords with independent testing labels, with polarized plugs or grounded three-pronged plugs, and they should not overload cords with too many appliances.
>> Window blind cords with loops, which can kill children through strangulation. Old window blinds with looped pull cords and inner cords that can be pulled to form a loop must be repaired. Call the Window Covering Safety Council, 800-506-4636, for a free repair kit, or see www.windowcoverings.org.
>> Halogen torchiere floor lamps, which cause fires when combustibles such as curtains are too close to the bulb. To reduce the risk of fire, install a wire or glass guard at the top of the lamp. Obtain a free wire guard by sending a postcard to Catalina Lighting Consumer Services, 18191 NW 68th Ave., Miami, FL 33015.
>> Old cribs with wide gaps between slats, high corner posts and cutouts on the head or footboards, which can trap, strangle or suffocate children. Only cribs meeting current safety standards should be used.
>> Hairdryers that can cause electrocution if they fall into water because they lack immersion protection devices. Replace the old hairdryer with a new one with a large rectangular plug tested by a recognized laboratory.
>> Disposable and novelty lighters that are not child-resistant and can cause fires. A safety standard since 1994 requires all disposable and novelty lighters to be child-resistant, which has greatly reduced but not eliminated fires caused by children playing with lighters. Keep all lighters away from children, and make sure they are child-resistant.
>> Drawstrings around the neck on children's jackets and sweatshirts, which can cause strangulation. The Consumer Product Safety Commission worked with the industry in 1995 to eliminate neck drawstrings on kids' garments. People who still have them should pull them out or cut them, and such items should not be sold at garages or given to thrift shops.
Information about recalled products and what to look for when buying products can be obtained by calling the commission's toll-free hot line, 800-638-2772, as well as from its Web site.
To obtain a list of major recalls, send a postcard to Recall Round-up List, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207.