School Safety Alert

Previously recalled products are one of the top hidden hazards in the home. Most recall information never reaches a family until tragedy strikes. Tens of millions of children are needlessly exposed to unsafe products, toys and foods that have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This is why National PTA has partnered with Consumer Reports and the National School Boards Association to form the School Safety Alert Program. The School Safety Alert program located at www.consumerreports.org/schoolsafety will alert parents, school administrators, and educators immediately to imminent dangers and allow them to remove potentially dangerous even lethal products from their homes and schools.

As part of this partnership, Consumer Reports and National PTA provide you with the following frequently updated safety tips and product recalls.

March Safety Tip

It’s Daylight Savings time again and this often reminds people it is time to change the batteries on our smoke detectors. Every year approximately 400,000 residential fires are reported to fire departments. Here are some tips to keep your family safe:

Preparing and practice an escape plan that includes working smoke detectors.
Place a smoke detector on every level of your home, and in each bedroom. Photoelectric detectors should be placed near kitchens or bathrooms to prevent false alarming. Use dual sensor alarms in all other rooms.
Mount each alarm at least 4 inches from a corner and 4 inches from walls, but well away from windows, ceiling fans and heating vents.
Test Your smoke detectors every month according to the manufacturer’s instructions and replace batteries at least once a year.
Pick the same dates every year to help you remember, such as when you adjust your clocks for Daylight Savings Time.
Never disable your smoke detector or remove the batteries. You may forget to reset or reinstall the batteries later. Also, remember to replace detectors every ten years.

For more safety information and to find out the latest recalls that could effect your children go to www.consumerreports.org/schoolsafety.