Tag Archives: dangerous

Tis the season

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I saw this list recently – the top 10 most dangerous toys of all time.  Some of the toys on the list are downright jaw-droppingly dangerous and would make Irving Mainway proud.  Take, for example, the CSI fingerprint kit made with asbestos dust, made as recently as 2007(!)  Others, like the Hannah Montana card game laced with lead, are not as obvious.

child gun

What does this mean to you:

Always fill out and return the warranty cards that come with children’s products so you know when a recall happens and you can be up to date with the most current information.

 

That is NOT normal

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I am not sure if this video is a critique of engineering standards, politicians, or just Australians.  Nonetheless, it seems to illustrate the often odd, and sometimes belligerent, lengths some will go to in order to deflect personal responsibility away from themselves.

The front fell off.

What does this mean to you:

As wacky as this video seems, corporate decision-makers and insurance adjusters often don’t like to admit reality when there is money at stake.  That’s why a lawyer’s ability to take depositions of these folks in litigation and put them under oath is a powerful tool.

Add one more to the list

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When we think of things that are dangerous to children, generally things like strollers or cribs come to mind.  But products designed for adults pose a dangers to little ones as well.  I stumbled on this tragic story about unstable furniture, like dressers, cabinets, and chests, that can tip over and pin children down, often with disastrous consequences.

Child climbing a dresser

What does this mean to you:

As parents, we can’t assume that only “kids products” pose dangers to kids.  To anticipate what children might get into, we have to to think like they would and approach common situations as they would.  Come to think of it, that might not be a bad way to approach life anyway for purposes of our health, business success, and mental acuity.

On guard!

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Human beings make mistakes.  If we didn’t, there would never be a need for any kind of safety device – from a seat belt in a car, to blade brake on a saw, to a guard on a piece of industrial machinery.  Engineers and product designers know this fundamental truth and are supposed to take it into account when designing things.  If they don’t, that’s on them.

That would ruin your day.

It hasn’t been released yet what happened this month to the woman in Barberton, Ohio who’s hair became snared in a machine that cuts off metal pipe.  Amazingly, she survived, but only after her scalp was ripped from her head.  Was the machine properly guarded?  Did it use electronic eyes (like on your garage door) that detect a person moving or hinge-actuated interlock switches  - either of which can automatically shut off the machine’s moving parts.  That way, if the machine fails, it fails to a safe state, i.e., it fails safe by design.  Or, were there guards on the machine that, at some point, were taken off?

What does this mean to you:

While manufacturers of dangerous products can be responsible for injuries caused by those products, generally your employer is not.  However, if the employer removes a safety guard, that employer may still be responsible for injuries caused on the job.

Four score and seven fingers ago…

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Now is the time you would expect a blog about product safety to post various tips and links about current fireworks law in Ohio and about how dangerous fireworks are, how you can be pretty badly hurt by them, and how you should really never use them.  Ever.  Well, not this blog.

Pew, pew, pew!

Instead, remember (just as I remind my kids each year when I read the Declaration of Independence to them) that one of the reasons we actually broke off and started are own, brand new country was the fact that King George III had taken away our right to have a jury trial.  That’s right.  Having your case heard before a jury – where both parties stand equal before the law- was so important to guys like Jefferson and Madison, that if they couldn’t have it, they were going to start their own country.  Jefferson even listed in the Declaration of Independence that the King was “depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury.”  That, among other reasons, required our separation from Britain.

What does this mean to you:

Be well, and have a safe and happy Fourth of July.

It’s all about the children

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One of my favorite SNL sketches from back in the day was Dan Aykroyd as Irwin Mainway on the show “Consumer Probe.”  Mr. Mainway made toys for kids such as Johnny Switchblade, Bag O’ Glass (part of the very successful Bag O’ line), and Teddy Chainsaw Bear.  Classic!  The comedy lies in the fact that the danger in these kids products is patently obvious to everyone.

Is he playing with Mr. Skingrafter?

But plenty of products for children are recalled for hidden problems and latent defects each year.  Everything from strollers to cribs to toys with magnets in them.  Time Magazine just did a story on these issues.

What does this mean to you:

Though it is a pain, always fill out and return the warranty cards that come with products – especially children’s products – so you know when a recall happens.  A recall can be critical evidence in proving a claim.  Without a recall notice, you are relying on the goodness of Mr. Mainway’s heart to give you notice.

A better mousetrap

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Whenever time allows, I try to get into the workshop for some quality time woodworking.

This is a stand-up desk I built. I now use it in my office at work.

Half the fun or working on projects are the tools you get to use.  But to say that these tools can be dangerous is an understatement, and few tools are more dangerous than the table saw.  Every year, more than 3,500 people lose a finger on a traditional table saw.

This saw does not have SawStop, much less a guard.

But there is a technology that can prevent virtually all finger amputations from table saws.  Its called SawStop.  It works by sensing the electrical  current in a finger and immediately stops the blade from spinning.  However, none of the major manufacturers of table saws have incorporated this technology into their saws.  The companies, through their trade group – The Power Tool Institute, are even fighting making this technology mandatory for all table saws.

What does this mean to you:

Does everyone know that table saws are dangerous?  Sure.  But does everyone know that the manufacturers could make their table saws safer and avoid the horror of amputations, but have chosen not to?  Methinks not. Even when a product does not malfunction, it may still be defective based on the design choices made by the manufacturer.