It doesn’t have to be cold outside for your office to be a little drafty. Buildings ban space heaters for a reason, though. Just ask the Pennsylvania factory worker whose clothes caught fire due to to the small heater he was keeping in his workspace. [The Intelligencer] [More]
safety
IKEA Recalls 23 Million Wall-Mounted Lamps Following Death Of Toddler
By 12.13.13
IKEA has issued a global recall of 23 million lamps (more than 3 million in the U.S. and Canada alone) after the death of a 16-month-old child who became entangled in the lamp’s cord while in their crib, and another incident involving a 15-month-old who nearly strangled on the lamp’s cord. [More]
Twitter Changes Blocking Policy To Be More Stalker-Friendly, Realizes Maybe That Wasn’t A Good Idea
By 12.13.13
Yesterday, Twitter announced out of the blue that it was making a change in the way it allows users to “block” followers, effectively turning it into a mute button that allowed stalkers to keep reading and responding to your Tweets — you just wouldn’t see it. After a backlash from users who pointed out this isn’t a great idea, the company canceled that plan. [More]
December Recall Roundup: Tablets Of Fire
By 12.9.13
In this month’s Recall Roundup, wheels break, fire bowls turn into fiery explosions, and chargers and refrigerators alike might overheat and catch fire. It’s a dangerous world: that’s why we bring you these recall listings.
Cruise Lines Hiding True Overboard Numbers From Public
By 11.19.13
So much of what happens on a cruise ship happens in international waters and far from U.S. shores, and cruise lines aren’t legally required to share with the public every detail of every incident that occurs on board every one of their ships. One stat for which most cruise passengers would expect an accounting is the number of people who have gone overboard. Most cruise operators disagree and think you only want to know when an American goes missing. [More]
16 Tips To Make Sure Your Home Isn’t A Den Of Dangerous Accidents Waiting To Happen
By 11.15.13
If you’re like me, you have no muscle memories of the apartment you’ve lived in for five years and thus find your body banging itself up against a corner like it popped out of nowhere. Sigh, bruises. But you don’t have to live like that — your home should be a place of rest and relaxation, not a horror house of accidents waiting to happen. [More]
Be Honest: You’re Facebooking While You Drive
By 11.13.13
There’s no formal study backing us up on this, but we’d guess that 100% of drivers (and Internet commenters) condemn people who text or check the Internet while they drive. Like many terrible, terrible habits, though, we humans condemn things that we ourselves do. A lot. According to a new survey by insurance company State farm, 24% of drivers admit to some kind of keyboard-related activity while driving. [More]
FDA Looking To Close Loophole That Slowed Safety Warnings On Generics
By 11.8.13
Imagine for a moment the tale of two friends, Jim and Joe. Jim takes Gleemonex, which makes it feel like it’s 72 degrees in your head all the time. Joe takes a generic form of the drug, which we’ll call walmonex. If the folks who make Gleemonex realize there’s a problem with the drug, they can immediately slap a warning on the product before getting FDA approval, but if the makers of the walmonex discover that same problem, they currently have to wait for the FDA and the brand-name drug makers to review the issue. This loophole is, quite obviously, a bad thing for consumers. So it’s good news that the FDA is now looking to close it. [More]
October Recall Roundup: Never Trust An Ant
By 10.22.13
The federal government shutdown meant that our friends over at the Consumer Products Safety Commission weren’t diligently posting recalls to their website as usual, but that doesn’t mean that there were no dangerous products recalled since our last Roundup in September. Nope. [More]
DOT Sued For Failing To Issue Rule On Rear Visibility In Cars
By 9.25.13
Everyone knows that the wheels of government don’t always turn quickly, but the folks at the Dept. of Transportation have been sitting on a Congressionally mandated new safety rule, one that could save an awful lot of lives and prevent even more injuries, for several years. In an effort to compel the DOT to finally act, several consumer groups and the parents of children who have died in auto accidents have sued the agency in a federal court. [More]
September Recall Roundup: The Training Wheels Are Off
By 9.24.13
In this month’s Recall Roundup, board books attack children, toy spiders grow in human stomachs, and motorcycle training wheels fall off mid-ride. [More]
Don’t Drive Anywhere Without Stashing These Things In Your Car Trunk
By 9.9.13
When I bought a car from a family friend, I was delighted to open up the trunk and find a pair of gloves, tire-changing tools, and a can of Fix-A-Flat nestled on top of the spare tire. There were tissues in the center console, a stocked changepurse, maps, and even a disposable camera. Not everyone is so lucky…but what should you stock your car with when starting from scratch? [More]
Couple Beaten And Robbed While Selling Phone Over Craigslist
By 9.5.13
Even though selling your old smartphone to a local person through classified ads will probably net you the most money, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take safety measures. Here’s one example why: an Illinois couple were beaten and robbed of their phone plus $275 after they arranged a meetup over Craigslist. Two teens have been charged with the crime and are in jail. [More]
Build-A-Bear Recalls Sulley Stuffed Monster Because Plastic Eyes Are Not A Tasty Treat
By 8.30.13
In the pixar movies Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University, the character of Sulley is supposed to be terrifying to children. In real life, the stuffed toy version of Sulley from Build-A-Bear apparently poses enough of a choking hazard to children that it’s been recalled in the U.S. and Canada. [More]
August Food And Drug Recall Roundup – Ginger Lead Candies And Drug-Packed Supplements
By 8.20.13 — Updated: 8.21.13
Our monthly Recall Roundups have grown so expansive that we’ve had to separate them into two separate roundups: one for consumer goods, and one for consumables. [More]
Eukanuba And Iams Cat And Dog Food Recalled Due To Possible Salmonella
By 8.15.13
An entire lot of Iams and Eukanuba kibbles for cats and dogs has been recalled because of possible contamination with Salmonella bacteria. Routine tests turned up traces of it, and the company is voluntarily pulling all food manufactured during a 10-day window because it just might be contaminated. [More]
July/August Recall Roundup: Lead Paint And Drop-Side Cribs Return
By 8.8.13
An electric smoker that smokes your house, delicious-looking non-edible polymer balls, a terrifying ladybug chair, and some lamps that are beautiful but not fireproof: all of these items are part of this month’s recall roundup. [More]
Costco’s Animal Crackers Container Is More Secure Than The Store’s Poisonous Detergent Pods
By 8.6.13
From the moment that Tide and others unleashed brightly colored, shiny, borderline adorable detergent pods on consumers, little kids have been licking, eating, and playing with them, which is a bad thing. And while some manufacturers have already begun shifting away from easy-open clear packaging, Costco puts its Kirkland Signature pods in a container that looks remarkably like the packaging it uses for food products and is easier to open. [More]
