The primary purpose of toys is to offer entertainment and joy to children and young adults. Despite the purpose being fun, many of the popular toys contain hidden hazards which might cause potential harm or injuries to them. Over the years, organizations came into existence to provide and improve toy safety to ensure the protection of children. Initially, toys were the number one product types that CPSC used to recall due to several reasons. However, due to such organizations including W.A.T.C.H, toys were the third type behind clothing and nursery to be recalled in the past few years.
An incident occurred a couple of days ago, due to which, a child faced burns and other injuries due to an electronic car. Such incidents have been increasing at a rampant pace, which is not always your negligence. Some manufacturers release faulty products, which become a significant expense for those parents who buy them as Xmas present for their children. If you have been a part of such negligence, consult a law firm right away.
In 2015, the recalled units have significantly reduced when compared to the results in 2005 where a total of 62 toy recalls were made that included nearly 17 million units. Now, it has reduced to less than 20 toy recalls involving only 350,000 or fewer units. Unsafe toys may hurt children in many ways such as strangulation, burns, drowning, falls, choking, and poisoning.
In recent times, the injuries reported due to unsafe products do not include toys anymore. Nowadays, companies are more strict towards testing all products for safety. Therefore, it is important to check child toys before buying to ensure protection at all times.
Toy Tips to Keep Kids Safe
• When you are buying a product, it is important to carefully read the packaging. The packaging includes a warning, safety message, assembly and usage instructions, and most importantly age label. The age guideline is specifically given to ensure that they are gifted or bought for the right target audience.
• Always check toys for dangerous parts such as broken pieces, sharp edges, or loose ends. If you find any such issue in the product you are looking to buy, you can report it to the manufacturer and CPSC.
• Try to avoid buying toys that feature painted jewelry or metal. These are not suitable for kids and may contain hazardous items like lead if kids take it in the mouth. A small amount of such substance may be harmful and can cause life-threatening injuries to the child.
Jeffrey B. Killino, Esq.
