Training

’Tis the Season to Give Safe Gifts

By Chris Kilbourne Nov 25, 2010 Training

Updated: Nov 25, 2010

December is Safe Toys and Gifts Month. Take time for a seasonal training session this month on the off-the-job subject of helping employees buy safe toys and gifts for their children. In a quick 15 minutes, you can give them good tips that can potentially save your workplace from time off taken by parents whose children are hurt by unsafe toys. Start with the statistics in “Why It Matters” to convince workers of the importance of this training in helping their kids use toys safely.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) gives an easy acronym to help workers keep their kids S.A.F.E. These tips cover toy safety from purchase to play.

S = Supervision:

Watch young children closely as they play—if you’re not playing with them yourselves.

Teach children how to use their toys safely.

Teach older children to keep their toys away from younger siblings.

Inspect kids’ toys regularly. Fix broken toys immediately or throw them out.

A = Age appropriate:

Choose toys that are developmentally appropriate and suit the age, ability, and interest level of your child.

Read labels on toys or containers to guide you in choosing safe items.

Try a demo of BLR’s remarkable new Employee Training Center at no cost or obligation.

F = Free of inherent hazards:

Toys for children under the age of 3 should be free of small parts, sharp points and edges, and long cords.

Look for labels with warnings, such as: “NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN UNDER THREE. CONTAINS SMALL PARTS.”

E = Equipment:

Require kids to wear helmets when using bicycles, skateboards, or in-line roller blades. Wear them yourselves when sharing these activities with kids.

Require kids to wear gloves, wrist, elbow, and knee pads when using skateboards or in-line roller blades.

Bring some seasonal spirit into your workplace this month with this brief training session on off-the-job safety for your workers’ children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Unlimited training—one low cost. Demo the new Employee Training Center, there’s no cost or obligation.

Why It Matters

Over 3 billion toys and games are sold every year in the U.S.

Around 15 children under the age of 14 die from a toy-related incident every year.

Around 217,000 toy-related injuries are treated in hospital emergency rooms.

In one recent year, 20 children died from toy-related deaths. In the same year, there were 75,000 toy-related injures in children under the age of 14.