96 Injury Prevention 1998;4:96–97

... while in Canada, helmet laws nated eVorts. It sets targets for the reduction Inj Prev: first published as 10.1136/ip.4.2.96 on 1 June 1998. Downloaded from knocked of deaths and injuries requiring hospitalisa- NEWS AND tion for traYc collisions, fires, drownings, and As summer approached, the debate over those in the workplace and home. Recognis- NOTES bicycle helmets in Canada was heating up. ing the lack of information on sport and rec- Countering a growing movement to get reational injuries the report notes that this helmet laws passed in every province is an area requires further attention. Further details: organization called the Ontario Coalition for Minister’s Injury Prevention Committee, c/o Better Cycling whose web site applauds the OYce for Injury Prevention, Environmental Revised injury control manual from failures of helmet law lobbyists and the Health Assessment and Safety Branch, BC Ministry of Health, 7-1 1515 Blanshard AAP watering down of Ontario’s law (only cyclists younger than 18 must wear helmets or face a Street, BC V8V 3C8, Canada (fax: The new injury control manual from the fine in that province). The group argues that +1 250 952 1342). American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the government should instead mandate now available and by all accounts is well cycling education in schools, on the grounds Our Healthier Nation worth looking at. It contains new chapters on that more crashes and injuries can be violence, sports injuries, agricultural injuries, prevented “by getting children to appreciate A Contract for Health is how the UK govern- the need to cycle responsibly”. and injury control in child care, preschool, ment subtitled this consultation paper setting school, and camp settings. A hands-on refer- targets for health in England. It proposes four ence tool for professionals, it includes statisti- ... and CPSC issues new standard for main areas of health that require particular cal information as well as strategies for injury attention, including accidents. The govern- bike helmets prevention. For details of how to buy a copy ment is seeking to reduce the rates of of Injury Prevention and Control for Children unintentional deaths and injuries that need The US Consumer Product Safety Commis- and Youth, 3rd edition by the Committee on medical attention by a fifth by the year 2010 sion (CPSC) has voted unanimously to issue Injury and Prevention, editor Mark compared with 1996. The paper identifies a new federal safety standard for bike Widome, contact AAP (tel: (from USA and responsibilities for central government and helmets. The new standard will for the first Canada) 800 433 9016 or (from elsewhere) other national players, local agencies and time in the US provide one uniform manda- +1 847 228 5005; fax: +1 847 228 1281; communities, and the population at large. e-mail: [email protected]). tory safety standard that all bike helmets Addressing inequalities in health and social must meet. About 900 people, including exclusion are major planks in this strategy. more than 200 children, are killed annually in Our Healthier Nation can be visited at the bicycle related incidents in the USA, and Department of Health’s web site, US-Nordic conference on rural injury about 60% of these deaths involve a head prevention www.open.gov/doh/ohn/ohnhome.htm. The injury. In addition, more than 500 000 people consultation period ended on 30 April and are treated annually in US hospital emer- The papers presented at the Stockholm con- will lead to the publication of policy state- gency rooms for bicycle related injuries. ment (a white paper) during the summer. ference on rural childhood injury prevention Research indicates that a helmet can reduce in November 1996 have been published. The the risk of head injury by up to 85%. Begin- http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/ meeting compared approaches to prevention ning February 1999, all bike helmets manu- The CVIC Safe Communities Program in Scandinavia with those in the US. Further factured or imported for sale in the US will details: Kungl Skogsoch Landbruksakadem- have to meet the new federal safety standard Recognizing the need to better serve commu- ien, Drottninggatan 95 B, Box 6806, 113 86 set by CPSC. The new standard ensures that nities, a Safe Communities Program has been Stockholm, Sweden (fax: +46 (0) 8 32 21 bike helmets will adequately protect the head established at the Center for Violence and 30). and that chin straps will be strong enough to Injury Control (CVIC) in the Allegheny Uni- prevent the helmet from coming oV in a versity of the Health Sciences, Pittsburgh crash, collision, or fall. In addition, the new Campus. Directing this program is injury ... and more on farm safety standard requires that helmets intended for control specialist Samuel N Forjuoh, MD, children up to age 5 cover more of the head to DrPH. The first project to start under this Canada’s first national database program on provide added protection to the more fragile new program on 1 April 1998 is a replication farm injuries has produced its premiere areas of a young child’s skull. of the Seattle bike helmet campaign in the city report, Fatal Farm Injuries in Canada, 1991– of Pittsburgh using the Safe Communities 97, which analyzes these fatalities by cause, approach. Funded by a local foundation, the TraYc calming guide from Belfast age, and location. Not surprisingly, children Federation of Independent School Alumnae, on September 27, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. of farm owner-operators are among the high a program coordinator has recently been hired risk groups. Tractors caused close to half of Under the auspices of the Belfast Healthy to begin an expanded coalition building. Fur- the work related farm deaths over all ages, Cities Project, brief guidelines have been ther details: Dr Samuel N Forjuoh, Center for and preteen children as well as youth are well published to provide members of community Violence and Injury Control (fax: +1 412 330 represented in those numbers. Drownings groups with information to explain the 6122; e-mail: [email protected]). and injuries from recreational vehicles were concept of traYc calming, whether it is right the leading cause of non-work related deaths, for them and how to set the wheels in motion mostly to younger children. Copies of the to get their area calmed. The guidelines give ICE web site report cost C$10 from Lisa Hartling, Na- examples of calming methods and explain tional Coordinator, Canadian Agricultural how decisions on installing calming measures “Take a moment to visit AdvICE on Injury Injury Surveillance Program, Department of are taken by the local authority. A series of Statistics, the new web site for the Inter- Emergency Medicine, Queen’s University, case studies from around the city highlight national Collaborative EVort on Injury Sta- Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada (fax: the processes and the problems encountered. tistics”, extols Lois Fingerhut. It will be found by beginning under international activities on +1 613 548 1374; e-mail: LH12@post. TraYc Calming: A Guide for Community can be obtained from Belfast Healthy this page: www.cdc.gov/nchswww/about/ queensu.ca). Groups Cities Project, The Beeches, 12 Hampton otheract/otheract.htm. Manor Drive, Belfast BT7 3EN, UK (fax: +44 1232 643723). Helmet laws debate Poison control centers save lives

“Laws enforcing helmet-wearing for cyclists BC Injury Free National Poison Prevention Week was ob- do more harm than good”. This was the served on 15–21 March 1998. Speaking at motion for a written debate in Australian A comprehensive report, BC Injury Free—A the news conference to launch the week, Dr Doctor in February 1998, with Dorothy Rob- Framework for Action, was published in George Rodgers, President of the American inson of the University of February 1997 by British Columbia’s provin- Association of Poison Control Centers, em- proposing the motion and Brisbane surgeon cial government. Its aim is to prevent phasized the lifesaving advice provided by the and ISCAIP founder member Caroline unintentional injury among children and nation’s poison control centers. “Poison con- Acton putting the case against. youth by providing a framework for coordi- trol centers save lives and health care costs. News and Notes 97

Every dollar spent on a resistant packaging. The projects aims were CPSC recalls Inj Prev: first published as 10.1136/ip.4.2.96 on 1 June 1998. Downloaded from saves about $7 in medical expenses. Without to evaluate test methods to produce docu- poison centers, victims would have to go to mentation to assist decision making on the It has been a busy time for the US CPSC. emergency rooms. Without immediate inter- proposed child care and use standard; Recalls have been announced for a range of vention, some victims might die”. Another increase the general competence on child child related products including: participant at the National Poison Prevention safety in the participating institutions; de- Week news conference was 2 year old Amy velop proposals for reproducible and valid x 13 000 oak cribs. The cribs have a drop Spangenberg, from Centreville, VA. She was test methods; learn and draw experience from gate (a rail that folds down) on the front of poisoned when she swallowed some moth- panel tests; evaluate whether the panel test is the crib, rather than a rail that slides up and balls a neighbor had scattered on the ground a relevant technique for testing packages; try down. A baby’s fingers can be trapped in to repel animals. Through quick action advised by a poison control center, the girl out panel test for testing child protection the folding drop gate and injured. recovered completely. products other than child resistant packag- ing; and develop further cooperation between x 108 000 high chair gym toys. The clacker the Nordic laboratories working in the field of balls hanging from the center of the Suicide web site child safety. The study concentrated on toy present a choking hazard to young entrapment of head and neck, protrusion and children. An Australian web site, www.reachout.asn. snagging hazards, sharp edges and points, au, has been launched intended to assist in and poisoning, burns, and entrapment. The x 21 000 cookie shaped refrigerator magnet suicide prevention. It has sections for young report, entitled Child Safety: Testing Mechani- toys and 49 000 crib mobiles. The magnet people and also for professionals with infor- cal Requirements on Products used for and by can come apart and release small plastic mation, links and discussion. Children, TemaNord 1997:578, is available for pieces, presenting a choking hazard to purchase through agents world wide. Contact young children. Part of the mobile can detach and fall into the crib, presenting a Kidsafe moves Nordic Council of Ministers, Store Strand- stræde 18, DK-1255 K, Den- risk of injury to young children. The National OYce of Kidsafe Australia has mark (fax: +45 3396 0202) for further x 800 000 infant car seats/carriers because of moved to Suite 4, Level 1, 230 Church St, details. Richmond, Victoria, Australia (tel: +61 3 a defect that can cause serious injuries to 9427 1008; fax: +61 3 9421 3831). children while the seats are being used as Safety Net infant carriers.

New US Surgeon General confirmed The Autumn 1997 edition of Safety Net, the consumer safety newsletter of the UK ANEC News Dr David Satcher, head of the Centers for Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Disease Control, has been confirmed as Sur- carried features on carbon monoxide poison- ANEC, the European Association for the geon General of the US Public Health Serv- ing, toy safety, research on packing opening, Coordination of Consumer Representation in ice and Assistant Secretary for Health of the and pictograms. It highlights the availability Standardization, reported in its March 1998 Department of Health and Human Services. newsletter that the German consumer of new DTI reports on residual current http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/ devices, crumb foam, pictograms, access organisation AgV was calling for a ban on towers, packaging, ergonomic design, and children’s toys made of soft PVC after Canadian photos available volatile substance abuse. These reports are Greenpeace research showed that small chil- available from DTI, 1 Victoria Street, Lon- dren continue to be at risk of poisoning. It The Healthy Images project from the health don SW1H 0ET, UK. To receive Safety Net, also notes that a ministerial order has promotion branch of Canada’s national suspended the sale of seating buoys intended health department provides photos for free write to DTI Consumer Safety Publications, for children since swimming teachers had to use by the news media. The images show Admail 528, London SW1W 8YT, UK. save several children from drowning when children and parents practising injury preven- tion. Kids and parents wear sports helmets, this type of buoy overturned. These buoys seat belts, sun hats, and flotation devices, for Safety home design have two holes to allow the legs to pass example, and young children are shown being through so when they overturn the child can- supervised on playgrounds, in farm yards, The September 1997 edition of Hazard, the not right itself. It is not stated where this ban and crossing streets. The photos are now newsletter of the Victorian Injury Surveil- has been implemented. lance System (VISS), took a comprehensive

available on CD by contacting Health Cana- on September 27, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. da’s Childhood Injury Prevention Program in look at injuries associated with home design. Ottawa (fax: +1 613 952 6032). The Safe Four pages of recommendations for preven- New Eurorisc newsletter Seasons calendar is another project of this tion strategies and programmes round oV this oYce. Each month features a particular safety excellent publication. Recent issues of Haz- Issue 1 of a newsletter linked to the Eurorisc issue (the dangers of outdated, secondhand ard and other reports from Monash Univer- project appeared in December 1997. It products in May when yard sales are popular sity Accident Research Centre can be found contains graphic comparisons of injury in Canada; toy safety in December). The at www.general.monash.edu.au/muarc. Con- mortality rates (E800-949) in European 1998 calendars are distributed by the Cana- tact VISS at Building 70, Accident Research Union states, revealing that rates range from dian Public Health Association (fax: +1 613 Centre, Monash University, Wellington 55 deaths per 100 000 population in 725 9826). More information on Health Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia (fax: to 21 in the UK. It also lists the national and Canada programs for children and youth can +61 3 9905 1809). local injury surveillance systems in the EU. be found on its web site, www.hcsc.gc.ca. Further details: Carolyn Roulston, The PEACH Unit, Department of Child Health, Yorkhill Hospital, Glasgow G3 8SJ, UK (fax: Nordic report on testing products used CISE +44 141 201 0837). for and by children The first issue of CISE (Consumer Safety Institute’s (CSI) Injury Surveillance Ex- Contributors to these News and Notes: Lois Fin- The consumer institutions in the Nordic change) appeared from the Dutch CSI in gerhut, Samuel Forjuoh, Anara Guard, Peter countries have worked with product safety Lundqvist, Rosie Mercer, Barry Pless, Ian and standardisation for the past 20 years. February. CSI Director Wim Rogmans writes However, it has only been during the last five that the publication aims to respond to the Scott, Jan Shield, and Amy Zierler. Contribu- years that standardisation has become one of growing need for an international exchange tions have been edited by Michael Hayes. the main means of influencing the safety of of experiences in injury epidemiology. The Items for the December issue should be sent consumer products. This report links with first issue reviewed a range of injury topics to Michael Hayes at Child Accident Preven- the work of a number of European standardi- and invites contributions from readers. Fur- tion Trust, 18–20 Farringdon Lane, London sation committees, including those working ther details: CSI, PO Box 75169, 1070 AD EC1R 3AU, UK (fax: +44 171 608 3674; on child care and use articles, toys, play- Amsterdam, The (fax: +31 20 e-mail: [email protected]) by 1 Sep- grounds, children’s furniture, and child 669 2831; e-mail: [email protected]). tember 1998.