CPSC Urges Safety for Halloween Trick-or-Treaters

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2002
Release # 03-025

CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: Yolanda Fultz-Morris, (301) 504-7066

CPSC Urges Safety for Halloween Trick-or-Treaters

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As Halloween approaches, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is providing tips to prevent injuries to trick- or-treaters. Among the dangers are costumes that are not flame resistant and masks that obscure vision. These tips are available in the following formats: as a brochure (pdf); as text only; as a brochure in Spanish (pdf); and as text only in Spanish.

"For those consumers whose children celebrate Halloween, we hope they will use CPSC's safety tips to help protect little trick-or- treaters from being haunted by preventable injuries," said CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton.

For the first time, CPSC has partnered with Dunkin' Donuts to launch the national "Mind Your Munchkins Halloween Safety Program," which is designed to inform parents and kids on the importance of Halloween safety. A video news release will be broadcast at 10 a.m. today. The coordinates are listed at the end of this press release.

Consumers can make this year's holiday a safe one by following these safety tips on costumes, treats and decorations.

Costumes

When purchasing costumes, masks, beards and wigs, look for flame- resistant fabrics such as nylon or polyester, or look for the label "Flame Resistant." Flame-resistant fabrics will resist burning and should extinguish quickly. To minimize the risk of contact with candles and other fire sources, avoid costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.
Purchase or make costumes that are light, bright and clearly visible to motorists.
For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car's headlights. Bags or sacks also should be light colored or decorated with reflective tape. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle and sporting goods stores.
Children should carry flashlights to see and be seen.
Costumes should fit well and not drag on the ground to guard against trips and falls.
Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. Oversized high heels are not a good idea.
Tie hats and scarves securely to prevent them from slipping over children's eyes and obstructing vision.
If your child wears a mask, make sure it fits securely, provides adequate ventilation, and has eye holes large enough to allow full vision.
Swords, knives and similar costume accessories should be made of soft, flexible material.

Treats

Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has examined them carefully for evidence of tampering.
Carefully examine any toys or novelty items received by trick-or- treaters under three years of age. Do not allow young children to have any items that are small enough to present a choking hazard or that have small parts or components that could separate during use and present a choking hazard.

Decorations

Keep candles and jack-o'-lanterns away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame.
Remove obstacles from lawns, steps and porches when expecting trick-or-treaters.
Indoors, keep candles and jack-o'-lanterns away from curtains, decorations and other combustibles that could be ignited. Do not leave burning candles unattended.
Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory. Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Discard damaged sets.
Don't overload extension cords.

Consumers can also view a video clip about Halloween safety (transcript). This is in "streaming video" format.

Soundbites of CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton are also available here (in WAV format; about 2 megabytes in length) on Halloween safety (transcript).

Soundbites of CPSC spokesperson Yolanda Fultz-Morris are also available here (in WAV format; about 4 megabytes in length) on Halloween safety (transcript).

Soundbites in Spanish of CPSC spokesperson Carla Coolman are also available here (in WAV format; about 10 megabytes in length) (transcripción) on Halloween safety.