Shine Bright! Be a School Safety Star!
Backpacks, books, pencils and pens, get ready because it’s back to school time, again! Whether your child walks, rides their bike or rides in a car or bus to school, safety should be priority number one!
A child can be seriously injured or even killed while riding a bicycle, playing on the playground, using a movable soccer goal, wearing a jacket with a drawstring or by using a recalled product. Our goal at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is to keep kids in their classrooms and out of the emergency room.
So are you ready to help your student be a back-to- school safety star?
Here’s how:
Helmets:
- If your child bikes to school or plays sports, make sure he/she has the appropriate helmet that fits his/her head properly and is worn correctly. Check out “Which Helmet for Which Activity” for guidance.
Playgrounds:
- Make sure playground equipment has been inspected and maintained. There are more than 240,000 injuries on playgrounds each year. Our Public Playground Safety Handbook is a great source to learn about how to design and install a safer playground.
- Never allow kids to wear clothes with drawstrings. It’s a strangulation hazard!
Movable Soccer Goals:
- Make sure soccer goals are securely anchored at all times. Never allow children to climb on the soccer net or goal framework. Unsecured movable soccer goals can fall over and kill or injure children who climb on them or hang from the crossbar. Visit Guidelines for Movable Soccer Goal Safety.
Distracted Walking:
- Kids and adults… keep your head up! Don’t text and talk on the phone while walking.
- In 2016, 2,200 people were seen in ER’s after an injury that occurred while walking and texting, playing a game, or otherwise looking at a cell phone.
Recalled Products:
- Visit CPSC.gov to check for recalls on your back to school items.
- Check out CPSC’s “Consumer Protection Safety All-Stars”: an educational and outreach program to teach kids how to identify hazardous products and the way recalls work. Download the materials for free at www.ymiclassroom.com/cpsc
Shine bright safety stars and have a wonderful and safe school year!
