Thursday, August 22, 2019
Back-to-school season is a fun, exciting time. But regardless of the age of your child, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) urges parents and students to keep safety top of mind. Below are their top tips.Distracted Walking. For the five-year period from 2014 - 2018, there were an estimated 6,500 ER-treated injuries associated with walking-while-texting.
Smart Tip: Keep your head up. Don't text or talk on your phone while walking. Distracted walking can be dangerous, especially near traffic and cross walks.
Bicycles. From fractures to contusions and lacerations, there were an estimated annual average of 154,200 ER-treated bicycle injuries from 2016 to 2018, for children under the age of 16.
Smart Tip: Biking, skateboarding or riding a scooter to school? Use your head and wear a helmet.
Playgrounds. Each year, there are more than 230,000 injuries associated with playgrounds. CPSC has investigated 40 deaths associated with playground equipment that occurred since 2014.
Smart Tip: Leave necklaces and clothing with drawstrings at home to reduce strangulation hazards.
Backpacks. Children shouldn't say, "Oh my aching back!" If they do, it could be the result of a heavy backpack. From 2016 - 2018, there were an estimated annual average of 7,400 kids under 19 years of age treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to backpacks.
Smart Tip: Lighten the load. Make sure backpacks for your students are not too heavy.
Movable Soccer Goal Deaths and Injuries. The CPSC is aware of 10 reported fatalities involving children under the age of 16 between 2000 and 2016 due to soccer goal tip overs or structural failure. During 2000 to 2018, there were nearly 3,300 emergency department-treated soccer goal tip over- or structural failure-related injuries involving children under the age of 16.
Smart Tip: Make sure movable soccer goals are anchored securely.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
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