The following is a new safety warning from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) website provided by Adam K. Levin, Esquire, with the law firm of Liever, Hyman & Potter, P.C., in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Beginning Feb. 28, 2013, manufacturers and importers of infant and toddler play yards are required to test their play yards to ensure that they meet new federal safety standards. Play yards are framed enclosures with a floor and mesh or fabric side panels. Most can be folded for storage or travel.
Play yards that meet the new safety standard must have:
- Side rails that do not form a sharp V when the product is folded. This prevents a child from strangling in the side rail.
- Stronger corner brackets to prevent sharp-edged cracks and to prevent a side-rail collapse.
- Sturdier mattress attachments to the play yard floor to prevent children from getting trapped or hurt.
The new play yard standard is one of many safety standards that CPSC has passed as part of the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act, or what the CPSC calls “Danny’s Law.” Danny Keysar was killed in Chicago in 1998 when a previously recalled play yard in which he was napping collapsed, suffocating him. This new play yard standard was completed in honor of Danny and his family.
The CPSC advises that if you use a play yard, keep it bare when you put your baby in it. Each year, CPSC receives reports of infant suffocation deaths. Some key causes of these deaths are the placement of pillows and thick quilts in a baby’s sleeping space and/or overcrowding in the space. You should visit the CPSC website for more information on how to put your baby to sleep safely.
Liever, Hyman & Potter, P.C. serves the injured, and their families, in Reading, Pottsville and throughout Eastern and Central Pennsylvania. The lawyers there handle personal injury claims, including claims for injuries or death caused by unsafe, defective and hazardous products.