Safety Regulations For Kids

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) advocates for children’s product safety in a variety of ways. A primary charge of the CPSC is to enact useful legislation that oversees product safety. In a recent move to protect kids from unsafely regulated products, the commission approved a federal safety standard for folding chairs and stools intended for juvenile use.

The CPSC’s new standard mandates that manufacturers of children’s stools and folding chairs make sure their products include:

• Warning labels;
• Locking and latching mechanisms, or a comparable hinge-line clearance requirement, and:
• Sideways and rear-facing stability testing

Some of the most common injuries associated with these products are finger injuries, pinching and tip-overs related to instability. Hinge-line clearances help to avoid crushing hazards, such as when a child’s finger gets stuck in between the hinged components of a folding chair. The CPSC hopes to decrease the number of children’s injuries that occur by implementing these new safety standards.

Extra steps need to be taken to make sure that children’s products are manufactured in a safe manner. Unlike adults, infants and younger children aren’t able to readily identify hazards. Luckily for parents and caregivers, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 has certain requirements in place to improve the overall safety of children’s products. Part of the CPSIA requires that independent, third party testing occur – but a product must first meet a certain set of requirements in order to be legally declared a children’s product.

Depending on how a product is classified, certain federal safety standards apply. If a product isn’t considered a children’s one, it may not have been rigorously tested for safety. In fact, certain products – even ones made for children – undergo no safety testing whatsoever.  Parents and caregivers should proceed with caution – especially when it comes to toys for young children. One helpful resource is available through the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM); it’s a full list of which children’s products comply with CPSIA.

You can read the CPSC’s official statement on its new federal safety standard for children’s stools and folding chairs. If an unsafe, defective or non-compliant product injured your child, please contact a representative at our firm who may be able to help.

Philadelphia Products Liability Lawyers at Galfand Berger, LLP Represent Children Injured by Dangerous Products

If a dangerous product that failed to comply with federal safety standards injured your child, please contact the Philadelphia products liability lawyers at Galfand Berger. With offices located in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and Reading, we serve clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. To schedule a consultation, call us at 800-222-8792 or complete our online contact form.