As the summer months approach and the weather improves, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced the recall of two dangerous products and released a safety warning on a third. All these recent safety alerts primarily concern children, who are highly vulnerable to defective and potentially hazardous outdoor toys and sporting goods like those included in these CPSC announcements.
Portable Pool Dangers
In a late-April report, the CPSC warned of the dangers portable pools pose. A cheaper, movable option, these can be just as dangerous as any other pools. In fact, CPSC explains that each year they receive 35 death reports of children 5 years old and younger due to these pools.
Portable pools make up 11 percent of all pool drownings for that age group. However, CPSC explains these deaths are highly preventable when the following safety precautions are taken:
- Fence off portable pools and ask neighbors to do the same
- If fencing is not possible, use smaller pools, empty all water, and turn them upside down when supervision is not possible
- Never leave children near a pool or spa unsupervised
- When larger pools are not supervised, remove pool ladders and enclose with a cover that meets the latest safety standards
- Install door alarms to send an audio warning when someone leaves the house to enter the pool or spa area
- Train children how to swim and float and instruct them on any other basic water safety skills they need
- Never consider young children safe to leave unsupervised in a pool just because they have had basic swimming instruction
For more pool safety information, visit the government’s official website.
Inflatable Pool Slide Recall
CPSC, in cooperation with both Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys R Us Inc., has announced the recall of about 21,000 Banzai in-ground pool water slides. CPSC explains that these inflatable slides have been deemed responsible for two serious injuries and one death.
According to the recall announcement, this pool slide can deflate as it is used. This deflation allows users to hit the ground underneath the slide and sustain injuries. The woman who was killed, a 29-year-old mother, fractured her neck after hitting her head on the edge of a concrete pool while going down the partially deflated slide.
The other two injuries CPSC is aware of occurred in a similar manner, with one man becoming a quadriplegic and another woman breaking her neck. In addition to the deflation risk, these slides are also unstable, posing a toppling over risk in both calm and windy conditions. Furthermore, the CPSC says the product carries inadequate warnings and user instructions.
Manufactured in China by Manley Toys, Ltd, these slides were sold in Wal-Mart and Toys R Us stores nationwide from January 2005 through June 2009. They cost about $250.
Owners of the slide are instructed to immediately stop using it and return it to the nearest Toys R Us or Wal-Mart for a full refund. Instead of bringing the entire slide to retailers for a refund, CPSC explains consumers can simply cut the two safety warning notices off the slide and return those pieces.
Trampoline Recall over Fall Hazard
In cooperation with the product’s manufacturer, Sportsman Limited, CPSC has announced the
recall of about 92,000 Sportspower BouncePro 14’ Trampolines
. These products have brown mesh netting around them that can break, allowing children to fall through and be injured.
The manufacturer has received 11 injury reports due to this six-foot net breaking. In all, 17 reports of net failure have been reported. Injuries to children include back and neck injuries, broken bones, and contusions.
These products were sold at Wal-Mart stores across the nation from February 2009 through February 2012 and cost about $275. Consumers are instructed to immediately stop using these trampolines and contact the manufacturer to receive replacement netting.