CPSC Warns Parents On Hazards Of Refuse Bins

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission today warned parents to keep their children away from refuse bins.

Several children have been crushed to death or severely injured by toppling bins. In the past five years, at least six deaths from refuse bin accidents had been identified and the victims' ages ranged down to two-years-old.

The Commission said bins that have a slanting side are particularly threatening because of their tendency to topple when hung on or pulled. In other cases, bins placed on uneven ground pose a threat to unsuspecting users or children at play.

Investigations of some of the accidents involving bins showed that children playing on, hanging on, and swinging around bins caused them to tip over. In one investigation, it was learned that a bin toppled spontaneously as a child passed by.

The slant-sided bins are slanted on one side so that waste matter may pour out unassisted when the bin is lifted and tilted by a waste removal truck.

Following the death of one child and an injury to another, the Dutchess County, New York, Department of Health petitioned the Commission to prohibit unstable bins and to establish safe criteria for bins manufactured in the future.

The National Solid Waste Management Association has proposed a voluntary standard and a retrofit program to prevent injuries from toppling bins. The Association estimated that there may be as many as a million or more slant-sided bins but not all present a risk of injury due to instability. The Association said larger bins, such as those as tall as a man, are usually too heavy to tip unless they are not on a level surface.

The Commission said that it presently is considering a number of options available to deal with the hazards of existing and future bins. The Commission plans to act soon on the pending petition concerning refuse bins.