BRIGHTON (CBS) – A national toy safety group unveiled its list of “summer safety traps” Tuesday.
Pool-related items were featured the most on the W.A.T.C.H – World Against Toys Causing Harm – top 10 list, which includes:
- Baby pools
- Flotation devices
- Pool covers
- Backyard trampolines
- Inflatable amusements (bounce houses)
- Non-motorized scooters
- Movable soccer goals
- Drawstrings and bicycle helmet straps
- Realistic-looking toy guns
- Toys with small parts
“Drowning is a serious issue year-round, but particularly in the summer when children are outside using pools and lakes. Drowning is the second-leading cause of death to children,” WATCH president Joan Siff told reporters at a news conference at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton.
She pointed out that last summer in the U.S. at least 174 children between the ages of 1 and 14 drowned in swimming pools or spas.
W.A.T.C.H. President Joan Siff with a baby pool on their safety list. (WBZ-TV)
Siff also talked about the recent death of a 5-year-old in Metheun who slipped through a pool cover.
“Make sure your pool covers are fitted appropriately. Check all your safety precautions, self-locking gates,” she said.“Start the summer off making sure that those aren’t hidden traps themselves.”
You can read more about the WATCH top 10 list on their website.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Carl Stevens reports