Following several incidents in which it became increasingly clear that toys-of-the-moment fidget spinners weren’t just exploding in popularity, but actually exploding, federal safety regulators have issued a safety alert aimed at reducing the potential for injuries and fire hazards associated with the gadgets. [More]
hazards
Watch Out For The Five Worst Teen Jobs Of 2009
By 6.30.09
Because we took a lot of seasonal jobs/were easily bored, we had quite a few jobs as a teenager. But although our workplaces exposed us to hazards like deli slicers and Christmas Eve mall shoppers, we’re relieved to learn we never had one of the National Consumer League’s Five Worst Teen Jobs.
1,585,000 Cribs Recalled Due To Entrapment And Suffocation Hazards
By 10.21.08
If you own a crib made by Delta, you’ll want to check the model number to see if it is included in two massive recalls announced by the CPSC today. None of the cribs are currently being sold in stores, but were available from major retailers including Walmart, Kmart and Target.com from January 1995 through September 2007 for about $100.
Apple Recalls Faulty iPhone 3G Power Adapters
By 9.21.08
Remember that game where your parents would tell you not to stick your fingers in electrical outlets and then you would and you’d get shocked? Well it’s now a real-life app for iPhone 3G owners! Here’s how to play: plug your iPhone 3G’s ultra-compact USB power adapter into the wall. If the prongs break off and get stuck in the outlet creating a risk of electrocution, you win! Or lose. Probably the latter, which is why Apple recalled the devices on Friday.
New Jersey Man Blows Up Apartment While Spraying For Bugs
By 7.26.08
Don’t call Isias Vidal Maceda for advice if you see a creepy critter crawling across your apartment. While spraying for bugs, the New Jersey resident blew out his kitchen windows and started a fire that destroyed 80% of his apartment. Sound outlandish? According to TV, it’s entirely plausible…
This Steak & Shake Is A Pigsty
By 7.21.08
We’ve never been to a Steak & Shake, and Cal’s behind-the-scenes footage of one of their restaurants in Indiana makes us think we’ll be saying that for a long time. In his intro to the footage, he claims they were so understaffed that he was able to walk into the back of the restaurant and take photos, and then return later with a video camera. We wonder if he knew someone who worked there, but that’s not really the point. The point is the shake-making area looks like babies vomited all over it. We can only imagine the horror that begins at night when all the people are gone and the roaches have their nightly dairy & syrup feast.
$7 Million Lawsuit: Combining Crocs And Escalators May Result In Mangled Feet
By 2.8.08
Back in September we wrote about the hazards of wearing the popular “Croc” clogs on escalators, a combination that may have produced more than a few injuries all around the world. We heard about at least one case where the child’s toes were ripped off when the shoe was sucked down into the escalator.
Mattel Announces Recall Of 155,000 Toys
By 11.6.07
Today Mattel announced a recall of 155,000 Mexican-made toys being sold in countries throughout Europe and the United States. There’s no lead contamination this time around; the recall was announced “due to concerns that small pieces could detach from the toys and cause children to choke.” The product is the Laugh & Learn Learning Kitchen Toy, part of the Fisher-Price range.
By 10.16.07
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The Center for Environmental Health is taking legal action against Apple, because “the levels of phthalates (a group of chemical compounds… that increase flexibility) in the iPhone are in violation of California law.” They say if the company doesn’t agree to recall current iPhones, they will file suit. [Wired]
By 10.2.07
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Target is recalling 82,000 plush rattle baby toys shaped like baseballs, footballs, and basketballs. The plush toys can break open, according to the CPSC, and release the beads used for filler, and therefore pose a choking hazard. The toys have a tag reading “Reg. No. PA5706(CN), Distributed by Double Nice Co Ltd. 3f-2 No. 325, Wu Chuan Road, Taichung, Taiwan, Made in China.” [CNN Money]
First Consumer With Popcorn Lung Speaks Out
By 9.7.07
Wayne Watson, the man who loved microwave popcorn so much he ate it twice a day for 10 years is speaking out about his condition for the first time.
Children, Crocs And Escalators Combine To Produce Mangled Feet
By 9.6.07
Crocs are both extremely popular and extremely good at gripping surfaces, which can become a problem when they are combined with small children and moving escalators.
Avoid Hazardous Supplies When Back-To-School Shopping
By 8.20.07
If you’re back-to-school shopping for your kids, here are a few guidelines for what to buy—and what not to buy, as well as some tips for inspecting the local playground and soccer field:
American Airlines Fined $231,000 For Unsafe Work Conditions At O'Hare
By 7.27.07
American Airlines faces fines of up to $231,000 for unsafe work conditions that include fall hazards, electrical and fire hazards, hygiene issues, blocked exits and storage of oxygen and acetylene cylinders, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Lead Poisoning/Choking Hazard Recall Round Up
By 5.3.07
There have been quite a few lead poisoning and choking hazard related recalls lately, so we thought we’d just round them up for you. Here they are:
Fisher-Price Fined $975,000 for Failing to Report a Serious Choking Hazard With A Popular Toy
By 3.5.07
Over the next two months, Fisher-Price received nine additional reports, including one case of a child placing the nail fastener in her mouth.
Lead Prompts Recall Of Children's Necklaces, Earrings, And Rings
By 2.25.07
Kmart and Big Lots! are voluntarily recalling 121,000 necklaces, earrings, and rings that contain lead. This stunning announcement is sure to devastate Valentine sweethearts in pre-schools across the nation.
Getting A Self-Charging Smoke Alarm Is Better Than Dying In A Fire
By 1.24.07
If you are anything like us, and you may well be, you forget to do things like change the batteries in your smoke alarm. Or, worse yet, you remember to take the batteries out when the thing starts beeping, but you forget to replace them. One potential answer to this problem is the self-charging smoke alarm. Simply screw the detector into a ceiling mounted light socket (providing you have one) and never need to change a battery again. This is an especially good idea for places where fires start, but people do not always go, or would not be annoyed by a beeping reminder. Garages, laundry rooms, etc. They’re a bit more expensive than your typical cheap-ass smoke alarm, but may be worth it for the forgetful among us.—MEGHANN MARCO
