This article examines the issue of mandatory replacement of child restraints that have been involved in a crash and may have been structurally damaged in some way. According to this article, it has been tested and confirmed that most restraints continue to perform well even after significant years of use and they shouldn't have to be replaced after most crashes unless there is visible damage or the crash was severe. This is mainly in response to a Californian law which requires insurers to cover the cost of replacing a child restraint involved in any crash, regardless of crash severity or whether the damage is visible.

Factsheet alerts consumer to possible dangers of toughened glass and advises on care. See: http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/productsafety/consumerinfo/index.html

Car windscreens, shop and office doors, cooktops, oven doors and tableware are examples of products made from toughened glass, a product that is much stronger than normal glass. This factsheet provides further information under the following headings; 1) How is it made?, 2) Strength and durability, 3) Spontaneous shattering, 4) Noise factor, and 5) Conclusion.

Evaluation makes a critical contribution to the evidence base for health promotion programs and policy. Because there has been limited research about the characteristics and determinants of evaluation practice in this field, this study audited evaluations completed by health promotion agencies in Victoria, Australia, and explored the factors that enabled or hindered evaluation performance. Twenty-four agencies participated. A systematic assessment of 29 recent evaluation reports was undertaken, and in-depth interviews were carried out with 18 experienced practitioners. There was wide variability in the scope of evaluations and the level of reporting undertaken. Formative evaluation was uncommon, but almost all included process evaluation, especially of strategy reach and delivery. Impact evaluation was attempted in the majority of cases, but the designs and measures used were often not specified. Practitioners strongly endorsed the importance of evaluation, but the reporting requirements and inconsistent administrative procedures of the funding body were cited as significant barriers. Budget constraints, employment of untrained coworkers, and lack of access to measurement tools were other major barriers to evaluation. Capacity building to strengthen evaluation needs to encompass system, organizational, and practitioner-level action. This includes strengthening funding and reporting arrangements, fostering partnerships, and tailoring workforce development opportunities for practitioners.

A discussion of the many factors in keping children safe at home which inlcudes physical environment, equipment and products used (and how they are maintained), the advancing developmental abilities of the child and effective supervision.

The existing knowledge on socio-economic inequality in injury risks is scarce and inconsistent and there is still a great need for sound epidemiological studies in this field. When performing these studies, the injury research community could benefit from the experience gained within other areas of public health. A recent project from the European Union has led, for example, to a set of proposed guidelines on several methodological aspects. Many of these are probably relevant for the injury problem field and will be addressed. Major issues are: – The distinction between individual-level and area-based studies; – The selection, measurement and classification of possible socio-economic indicators; – The expression of the magnitude of health inequalities with the help of possible summary indices; – The definition of the outcome measure (morbidity or mortality, general or specific). This paper illustrates the relevance of the aforementioned methodological issues with empirical data. Results are shown from both individual-level and area-based studies, using different socio-economic indicators and outcome measures. It is concluded that a systematic approach towards understanding socio-economic differences in injury incidence and mortality has not yet been conducted and seems highly needed. Future work in this area could benefit from experience gained within other areas of public health.

Safekids reply to the public discussion document of April 1998.

OBJECTIVE: This study compares the patterns of quad-related fatal injuries between Australia and New Zealand (NZ). METHOD: Fatal injuries from July 2007 to June 2012 involving a quad (quad bike or all-terrain vehicle) were identified from coronial files. Data described the socio-demographic, injury, vehicle and environment factors associated with incidents. Injury patterns were compared between countries. RESULTS: A total of 101 quad-related fatalities were identified: 69 in Australia and 32 in NZ (7.3 and 8.0 annual fatalities per 100,000 vehicles). Of these, 95 closed cases were examined in detail and factors in common included fatalities occurring mainly in males, on farms, involving a rollover and resulting in crush injuries to the head and thorax. Helmet use and alcohol/drug involvement were infrequent. Differences were observed with regard to age, season of fatal incident and the presence of a slope. CONCLUSIONS: Fatality patterns are broadly similar. The few differences could be attributed to differing agricultural commodity mix, demographics and topography. IMPLICATIONS: This study's findings support harmonised cross-country injury prevention efforts primarily focused on safe design and engineering principles to reduce this injury burden.

These short extracts from the book look at traffic calming options and pedestrian, cycle and neighbourhood friendly traffic planning

This traffic engineering manual is designed to be a practical sourcebook of ideas and options for local area traffic management treatments which local councils can adapt to their own particular circumstances and consists primarily of photographs and diagrams of treatments (cahges to road alignment, crossing configurations, speed humps etc) which have already been installed. Held at LTSA Library in Wellington, available for borrowing if required.

This item describes itself as a 'white paper' on a design of 'spring free' trampoline which separates the user from the springs and hard frame edges of a traditional trampoline design. It seems to have been developed by the company which produce this design of trampoline. It includes photos and references to the relevant safety standards.

This publication is neighbouring North Queensland ‘Local Government Areas’ Townsville and Thuringowa’s application for accreditation to the World Health Organization (WHO) to be recognised as a designated ‘safe community’. The WHO Safe Communities model creates an infrastructure in local communities for addressing injury prevention initiatives through the building of local partnerships. It is a programme that was initiated in Sweden by the WHO Collaborating Centre on Community Safety Promotion at the Karolinska Institute for Social Medicine. Further information is provided under the following headings: regional overview, injury profile, Townsville Thuringowa safe communities story, six WHO indicators for safe communities.

Consumers can help shape that market by voting with their wallets. In the meantime, activists are launching a nationwide campaign to encourage testing of playground equipment for arsenic. Next week the Consumer Product Safety Commission will begin a new study to assess the arsenic risk kids face in playgrounds, and the EPA plans similar investigations in the fall. The EPA is also reviewing more than 300 pesticides (including the arsenic in ccA) to decide whether it will continue to approve their use.

We analyzed 42 models from 14 brands of refill liquids for e-cigarettes for the presence of micro-organisms, diethylene glycol, ethylene glycol, hydrocarbons, ethanol, aldehydes, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and solvents. All the liquids under scrutiny complied with norms for the absence of yeast, mold, aerobic microbes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Diethylene glycol, ethylene glycol and ethanol were detected, but remained within limits authorized for food and pharmaceutical products. Terpenic compounds and aldehydes were found in the products, in particular formaldehyde and acrolein. No sample contained nitrosamines at levels above the limit of detection (1 µg/g). Residual solvents such as 1,3-butadiene, cyclohexane and acetone, to name a few, were found in some products. None of the products under scrutiny were totally exempt of potentially toxic compounds. However, for products other than nicotine, the oral acute toxicity of the e-liquids tested seems to be of minor concern. However, a minority of liquids, especially those with flavorings, showed particularly high ranges of chemicals, causing concerns about their potential toxicity in case of chronic oral exposure.

Brief notes on toxicity of pens taken from a conversation with personnel at the National Poisons Centre. The strong-smelling pens contain the poison xylene and marker pens contain permanent dyes, both types therefore constitute a potential hazard for small children.

OBJECTIVE: The New Zealand National Poisons Centre has, over a number of years, developed an electronic poisons information database. In 2002, this was released as toxinz™ (University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand), an Internet accessible version. The objective of this study is to describe New Zealand subscriber utilisation of TOXINZ with an emphasis on pharmaceutical monographs viewed. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of records of New Zealand subscriber access to TOXINZ monographs during the period 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2012. Telephone enquiry data to the New Zealand National Poisons Centre was also obtained for the same time period. RESULTS: Over the decade, 201 255 TOXINZ monographs were accessed, with annual numbers of documents viewed doubling from 13 718 in 2003 to 28 782 in 2012. Pharmaceuticals were the largest group viewed with 132 316 documents accessed (65.7% of all documents), followed by monographs relating to chemicals 46 061 (22.9%), substances of abuse 6698 (3.3%), plants 6563 (3.3%), supportive care 4668 (2.3%), animals 2553 (1.3%), and other 2396 (1.2%). In regard to the pharmaceuticals, high or rapidly increasing levels of enquiries were identified for venlafaxine, quetiapine, paracetamol, zopiclone and tramadol. Investigation of telephone enquiries to the New Zealand National Poisons Centre showed total poisoning calls increased slightly over the 10 year period, whereas telephone enquiries from hospitals halved. CONCLUSION: The TOXINZ Internet accessible poisons information database has proved to be a well-utilised addition to the New Zealand National Poisons Centre's service.

Injuries related to toys continue to cause significant childhood morbidity and mortality, despite considerable government regulation of the toy industry. Recent controversy related to toys that contain strong magnets demonstrate the dangers they pose to children. The pediatric community is often unaware of how toys receive their developmental and safety labeling and the degree to which age-labeling on toys can be discretionary. Toy labeling has 2 basic manifestations. The first, safety labeling for hazards like small parts, balloons, or small balls that may present a choking risk, is mandatory. The second, "developmental" age-labeling, describes the age of the children for which the toy is intended, and sometimes has discretionary components. This article provides a review of the regulations governing toy age-safety standards and how they are reflected on toy packaging to help pediatric practitioners apply safety advice across settings and patient characteristics. We review the existing age-labeling regulations and processes and discuss the major areas where children remain vulnerable despite labeling. Finally, we list some recommendations for counseling parents about toy safety.

US officials are aware of 23 fatalities and several cases of permanent brain damage which have resulted from the lids of toy chests falling on children's heads or necks.Brief outline of incidents and safe alternatives.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has expressed concern at the availability of toy cigarette lighters filled with sherbet (sugar powder). Whilst the contents appear harmless enough, the container is made in the shape and size of a disposable cigarette lighter. "The Ministry believes that the sale of toy cigarette lighters can serve to make children more casual about the dangers of real cigarette lighters’" said Tony Leverton, the Ministry’s Trading Standards Service Manager. "The Ministry reminds all parents and caregivers to ensure that their children do not have access to real cigarette lighters and are reminded repeatedly of the dangers of playing with lighters and matches," said Mr Leverton.

This article discusses the revision of the standard Children's toys part 4 flammability. As a requirement of Australia being a signatory of the GATT Treaty it is obliged to follow accepted world practice in terms of specifying requirements for toys. 80-90% of toys in the marketplace are imported and this ensures that they conform to Australian requirements - this produces a saving to the industry in that they do not need reassessment for local compliance.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs today (23 July 1999) issued a warning about a range of spring-loaded toy pistols that fire soft yellow bullets. The pistols and their yellow bullets are unsafe due to the force at which the yellow bullets are fired. The bullets can cause damage to a person’s eye.

This article provides a brief breakdown of toy-related injury to children by developmental stage.

This is an updated factsheet from the National Safe Kids Campaign which focuses on toy-related injury to children. Information is provided under the following headings: 1) Toy-related deaths and injuries, 2) When and where toy-related deaths and injuries occur, 3) Who is at risk, 4) Toy injury prevention laws and regulations, 5) Cost of injury, and 6) Safety advice.

PURPOSE There is increasing evidence that high-powered hand-held laser devices cause retinal injury. We present 12-month follow-up data for three patients that we previously reported with such retinal injuries. METHODS A retrospective case series of three children with maculopathy secondary to exposure to high-power hand-held laser devices. All children underwent clinical examination and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) at presentation and follow-up. Fundus-controlled microperimetry was also undertaken 12-19 months after exposure. RESULTSThree children sustained macular injury after exposure to a high-powered hand-held laser. Acutely, they presented with a 'vitelliform-like' maculopathy with reduced vision. Over the course of follow-up, the best corrected Snellen acuity in all three patients improved to 'normal' levels (range 6/6-6/9). Long-term deficits in foveal retinal sensitivity were identified in two patients using fundus-controlled microperimetry. SD-OCT imaging showed persistent disruption of the foveal outer photoreceptor layers in all three children. CONCLUSIONAlthough visual acuity improved over time, deficits in microperimetry and SD-OCT persisted. All three children had retinal pigment epithelium changes, requiring follow-up for longer-term sequelae of laser injuries such as expansion of retinal atrophy and development of choroidal neovascular membranes.

This is a factsheet which focuses on toy safety. Information is provided as a 'safety checklist' under the 5 'S's: Size, Surface, Strings, Supervision, Smooth. There are also suggestions for the right toys for each child age group. Further information available at http://www.consumer-ministry.govt.nz/toys.html and See: http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/productsafety/consumerinfo/index.html

This is a fact sheet which discusses toy safety. Some information is provided, as well as some safety advice. n.b. - this is an older resource recently catalogued

Play is not risk-free but we can control most of the hazards children are exposed to. Toys must be safe by law but how they are used and the age of the child are important factors in preventing accidents. Although toys are involved in over 40,000 accidents each year, their safety is only part of the problem. Many accidents involving toys occur when people trip over them and when babies play with toys intended for older children. These guidelines provide information under the following headings; 1) Toys and the law, 2) Toy safety advice, 3) Toys and battery safety, and 4) RoSPA's top 10 safety tips on toy safety.

A4 factsheet. Safety checklist; choosing the right toys for their age.

Good toys should be safe, durable and appropriate to a child's age. They can assist children to develop mentally and physically. Unsafe toys may cause severe injuries, so take care when buying toys and supervise children's play. This factsheet provides some basic safety advice around children's toys under the following two headings; 1) What toys to look for, and 2) What toys to avoid.

This toy safety checklist provides guidelines and safety advice for parents and caregivers around the selection of toys that are safe for the different stages of a child's development. Information/advice is provided under the following age group categories: (1) 0 to 1 year-olds, (2) 1 to 3 year-olds, (3) 3 to 5 year-olds, (4) 5 to 9 year-olds, and (5) 9 to 14 year-olds.

Toy makers must make sure that they produce safe toys that meet the safety standards set by Health Canada. Sometimes unsafe toys do make their way onto store shelves and into homes. You may also have older toys that are no longer safe, or the way the toys are being used may expose children to hazards. Here are some tips to help you choose safe toys and to help you keep children safe when they play with toys.

This pamphlet gives advice on choosing safe toys for children. Included is a rack card on the Lion Mark which is the safety symbol of the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA). To belong to the Association manufacturers are required to make their toys to BS 5665/En71, the highest British (and European) safety standard.

This article looks at how to make a safe choice of toys for gifts for children for Christmas.

Toy injuries occur most often to pre-school age children, especially ages 1-3. Many of these injuries - cuts, bruises and fractures - were caused by children falling from ride-on toys. Deaths involving toys are very rare but choking on small parts of toys has been known to lead to death. Almost any toy has the potential to cause an injury, but the following are frequently involved: -Toys that children ride on (e.g. cars, rocking horses) -Construction kits and models -Toy cars and trains -Soft toys (e.g. dolls, teddy bears) -Toy boxes This factsheet provides information on toy safety, safe toy design and safety marks.

This is a factsheet from the CAPT in UK about child safety and toys. Information is provided under the following headings; 1) how many accidents are caused by toys? 2) how can accidents involving toys be reduced? and 3) I am designing a toy for a school project- what do I need to consider?

For children under three years of age, toys and parts of toys tat are small enough to swallow can be dangerous. This is because children in this age group have not developed the reflexes to cough out small items. In Australia, the Consumer Affairs (Product Safety) (Children's Toys) Regulations 1998 require that toys intended for children under three years of age must not have small parts that can pose an ingestion or inhalation hazard. This factsheet provides further information under the following two headings; 1) The regulations, 2) How are toys defined?, and 3) Exclusions.

This whole issue of Injury Prevention News focuses on the problem on injury and prevention in the Canadian Indian Community and the need for culturally appropriate solutions

This programme contains six lessons on railway pedestrian safety for middle school (6-8 years old) children, as well as some associated lesson plans for older children. This programme follows the Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum. Below is a list of all the different sections: - Background for teachers - A checklist for teachers - Lesson 1: Thinking about railway safety - Lesson 2: The field trip - Lesson 3: Practicing looking and stopping - Lesson 4: Safe routes to school - Lesson 5: Thinking about others - Lesson 6: Thinking about the community - Track safety workbook - Teacher evaluation - Older children: Social studies - Older children: Mathematics (including pedestrian accident statistics) - Older children: Physics - Older children: Technical drawing/design (including a sample crossing) - Teacher evaluation.

This report is: " ... the fourth report in the Decades of Disparity series. It updates the earlier reports by providing estimates of ethnic inequalities and income gradients in mortality (all-cause and by-cause) for 2001- 04. The report is an output of the New Zealand Census - Mortality Study, an ongoing record linkage study that links (anonymously and probabilistically) census records to mortality records for the three years following each census (since 1981). ... This pattern of a recent stabilisation or narrowing in mortality inequalities (from 1996-99 to 2001-04) does not apply to all groups. For example, low income young adults have shown no reduction in mortality over the whole period (from 1981 - 2004), while their high income counterparts have shown a steady improvement, leading to a continuous widening of income inequality in mortality among young adults. Also, the recent improvement in mortality has been greater for Maori than for Pacific ethnic groups, so Pacific mortality - while still intermediate - is now closer to the Maori than the European/Other level." PDF available at: http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/tracking-disparity-trends-ethnic-and-socioeconomic-inequalities-mortality-1981-2004

Tracking of changes in road fatalities over the years shows that road safety has improved markedly. Compulsory seat belts and random breathe testing have reduced fatality rates. Further fatality reductions are getting harder to achieve and there are questions on the rate of serious injuries. More data and research is needed to clarify the situation.

These posters are part of new series from the Education Portal of the New Zealand Transport Agency. These printable PDFs of posters focus on child pedestrian safety around railway tracks: Tracks are for trains! Only cross railway tracks at footpaths and official crossings. Always stop, look and listen for trains. Mo nga tereina nga ara tereina! For the PDF see: Tracks are for trains! [Poster, includes an image of children and adults crossing at a rail crossing.]: http://education.nzta.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/9071/NTA-15762-Rail-Xing-Poster-v3-A4-LR.pdf Mo nga tereina nga ara tereina! ['Tracks are for trains!' Poster, in Maori, includes an image of children and an adult crossing at a rail crossing.]: http://education.nzta.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/9282/Te-reo-RAIL-poster-A3-WEB.pdf and see also: http://education.nzta.govt.nz/resources/school-ethos-and-organisation/resources

This teaching guide is an education programme designed to teach children safe behaviour on or near trains and railway tracks to help prevent death and injury. Lessons: Taking care; about trains; tracks; about us. Contents of pack: Teaching guide; video; DVD; pamphlet for parents and caregivers; 6 posters (2 sets of each). (Game not included in pack).