Product Safety
Childhood Injuries Are Preventable!
You can prevent injuries related to children’s products, furniture and toys.
Did you know? Almost 35 to 40% of all home injuries involved a product or the environment such as the stairs, floor, and walls. In Canada, more than 75% of injury-related emergency room visits among children from birth to 4 years are for injuries occurring at home.
Safe Kids Canada
What can you do to prevent these injuries from happening to your child?
- Read and follow instructions.
- Read warning labels on product.
- Check for recalls.
- Supervise your child while using child furniture and products.
- Childproof your home.
- Use toys that are meant for the age and ability of your child.
Have questions? Call Public Health at 376-9420 or 1-800-263-3456.
Recall Information Resources
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Canadian Recall Sources:
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Toys and Children’s Furniture
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Car Seats
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Health Canada
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Search: “juvenile product recalls”
Call 1-416-973-4705
(regional product safety office)
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Transport Canada:
www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety
Search: “child restraint recalls”
Call 1-800-333-037
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Manufacturer Recall Sites:
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Garage Sales and Yard Sales
Buyer Beware, Vendor Take Care
“For children 9 and under, home is the most common place for injury. In Canada, more than 75% of injury-related emergency room visits among children from birth to 4 years are for injuries occurring at home. For 5 to 9 year-olds, 40% of these injuries happen at home.” Safe Kids Canada
Many injuries involve a child’s environment that often includes nursery products, toys and furniture. Falls, burns, scalds, suffocation, choking and poisoning are the most common types of these injuries, some of which may be caused in part by dangerous nursery products, toys and furniture. Families may search for second-hand products are garage sales, but is what you are selling and buying safe for to use?
1) Why should I be concerned about selling nursery products, children’s furniture and toys at my garage sale?
Under Canadian Law you cannot import, sell or give away products that do not meet the requirements of the Hazardous Products Act.
2) How do I know if a product is unsafe and should not be sold at my garage sale or yardsale?
Refer to the chart titled, “Risky Children’s Products Often Found At Yard Sales.” The chart offers some dates and guidelines on which products should not be sold.
Recalls:
Nursery products and toys:
Health Canada at www.hc-sc.gc.ca, search for: Juvenile Product Recalls.
For more information call the regional product safety office in Toronto at 1-416- 973-4705.
Car seats:
Transport Canada at www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety, search for: child restraint recall notices or call Transport Canada at 1-800-333-0371.
3) How can I tell by looking at a product that it should not be sold?
- There are white stress marks or wearing on the plastic.
- The safety straps on strollers, change tables and highchairs are missing.
- There are sharp, jagged edges or pieces of plastic broken off.
- The instruction manual or manufacturer’s guidelines are missing.
- There is no label stating the manufacturer, production date or model number.
*** If you are unsure whether a product is safe, always take advantage of the recall information above and call to find out before you sell it.
4) What do I do with a nursery product if I learn it is unsafe to sell?
- Destroy the product by disassembling it.
- Take the product to your local dump for disposal.
- Be aware of local events such as an “Unsafe Product Round-Up,” sponsored by your local health unit. Check the website at www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca in the family health section.
Guide To Used Products
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Cribs
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Cribs made before September 1986 don't meet current safety standards. The mattress support in them, suspended by hooks, is not secure and can collapse easily. These cribs cannot be fixed to meet the standard and must not be sold or given away. Cribs that meet the regulations must have printed on them or affixed to them information that identifies the manufacturer, model number, date of manufacture and assembly instructions.
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Strollers
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Strollers manufactured before 1985 may not meet current standards. Choose one that is both sturdy and safe. The stroller must match the size and age of the child who will use it, and be sturdy enough to support the child and not be easily tipped. Strollers must come with a lap belt, or some safety restraint that is solidly attached to the seat or frame. Ensure the brakes, as well as locking mechanisms on folding models, are in working order. Make sure that the wheels are solidly attached.
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Walkers
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If you decide to buy a walker, buy one that meets the Canadian Juvenile Products Association's voluntary safety standards. It should, among other features, be too wide to fit through a standard doorway of 81 cm (31 inches).
Baby walkers are not safe and do not help children learn to walk. Instead, they allow children to reach hot surfaces and have access to dangerous situations like stairways. Walkers were taken off the market due to such injuries.
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Playpens
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In 1976, the government introduced playpen regulations. Mesh-sided playpens must be made of mosquito-type netting with small holes so that fingers and little buttons cannot get through. Current standards also prohibit the use of more than two castors or wheels, to prevent the playpen from moving too much. Some older playpens may have protruding bolts that can catch on a child's clothing, or may have worn or faulty mechanisms on the folding sides of the playpen. If the playpen has been recalled, be sure the problem has been corrected. When selling a folding playpen, ensure that all locking mechanisms work and set-up instructions are included.
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Baby Barriers/
Gates
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Since 1990, new regulations have made expansion gates safer. Accordion-style baby gates that are made of wood or hard plastic and have diamond-shaped openings and large V's at the top can no longer be sold in Canada; children can get caught in the openings and strangle themselves.
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Car Seats
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All car seats must meet the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard and carry a compliance label (stating the size of the child for which the seat is designed) on the side, rear or bottom of the seat. Instructions must be provided on how the seat is to be installed. Seats over 10 years old are generally regarded as no longer safe. Some newer car seats only have manufacturer expiry dates of 6-8 years. Pick up a copy of the used car seat check list at the Health Unit
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Sleepwear
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Regulations on the flammability of children’s sleepwear up to size 14X were strengthened in 1987. Sleepwear should be made of nylon or polyester. Cotton and cotton-blend fabrics will catch fire and burn more quickly than most synthetics
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Toys
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In 1970, the Hazardous Products Act introduced safety standards for toys. Toys allowed to be sold in Canada are subject to flammability, electrical and thermal risk and toxicological testing. But not all toys found in garage sales are less than 31 years old. Despite the regulations, others are no longer without risk. Toys that are in poor repair or broken are clearly unsafe. Lawn darts with elongated tips are dangerous and can no longer be sold.
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Information from the Canadian Safety Council (www.safetycouncil.org) and Health Canada (www.hc-sc.gc.ca)