CPSC Urges Consumers To Keep ""Safety"" In Their Holiday Gift Buying

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) highlighted safe gifts for all ages today at its annual Holiday Safety News Conference. Chairman Jacqueline Jones-Smith said, ""While toys are a major portion of holiday purchases, there are gifts that increase safety throughout the home for all ages.""

Chairman Jones-Smith said, "The Commission obtained the recall of 165 models of toys and other children's articles that failed to comply with safety standards or were otherwise unsafe during this past year, a total of 10.8 million units." Other children's products include pacifiers and similar items.

The Chairman stated that it was the Commission's hope that its efforts to make toys safe will have a multiplier effect. She pointed out that the more aware parents and children become about toy safety issues, the more conscious they may become of safety with other consumer products around the home.

CPSC Commissioner Anne Graham urged consumers to give themselves a gift of safety, by taking advantage of the product safety recall programs underway. Several recent product recalls were discussed including the replacement control panel for the DeLonghi oil-filled electric heaters made between 1980 and 1988, and the $10 offer from General Electric for the return of certain GE Drip Coffeemakers. At the top of the CPSC's list of gift giving ideas is a smoke detector. However, Commissioner Graham pointed out that this gift is only as good as the batteries in it and urged consumers to include batteries with this gift.

The Commission's objective is to achieve the same level of safety awareness with other products that many people now have with toys.

Commissioner Carol Dawson stated that examples of these products include smoke detectors, which should be located on every level of the home; readily available fire extinguishers, which everyone should know how to operate; and Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupters (GFCI) protection, particularly in areas where water is present. Commissioner Dawson repeated and emphasized the importance of these products stating, "No home should be without these items."

While the Commission actively implements its regulatory and enforcement efforts to improve product safety, it urges consumers to think, act, and purchase safety. This combination will enable product safety to become second nature in the marketplace.