Safety
standards
This material was produced by the Royal Society of New Zealand (RSNZ)
under contract to the Ministry of Education in 2000 and 2001. It was written
to assist teachers and schools in their delivery of the technology/ hangarau
curriculum statements. The project was jointly coordinated by personnel
from the Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ)
and National Association of Māori Mathematicians, Scientists and Technologists
(NAMMSAT) networks. Monitoring and evaluation of the material was carried
out by a national project advisory group.
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The
news
In a recent case, the Christchurch coroner made a strong plea for
older-style cots to be withdrawn from use. This came after the accidental
strangulation of a toddler in her suburban home when her singlet became
caught on the corner post of her cot.
The coroner stated that this caused the child to become suspended about
the neck, resulting in asphyxiation and death. The child had been put
to bed by her father for an afternoon sleep.
Police examining the scene noted that the baby was in a cot with 60 mm
side railings and corner pillars with ornamental knobs protruding 25 mm.
The cot was owned by the family and had been used previously by the toddler's
older sister.
A paediatrician who examined the scene, said of the cot's corner knobs:
"I think it would be possible for part of the child's clothing, such
as the shoulder strap of a singlet, to become caught on one of these
knobs and this could possibly have led to the child being strangled
by the singlet."
The coroner received a report from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs about
child cot regulations which said there was a national standard for household
cots, which provided a safety features benchmark. Compliance with the
standard was voluntary, but the Ministry said that a mandatory standard
for household cots was being prepared and should come into force later
in the year.
Second-hand dealers had been made aware of upcoming changes to the
regulations and the hazards posed by older cots.
The coroner said an awareness campaign was needed so "hazardous old
cots" could be removed from the market.
At present many cots are being sold on the second-hand market, including
through garage sales, that are potential "death traps". For
example, buy, sell and exchange columns in newspapers contain numerous
adverts for colonial cots often having similar decorative knobs as the
cot responsible in this case.
The Coroner warned that "This death highlights the dangers of cots
that, through no fault of the parents or the families using them,
do not meet the voluntary standards that currently apply." It was
important implementation of the new regulations was not delayed, he
said.
In concluding he was able to report that he understood the ministry
was preparing an educational campaign about children's furniture.
(This material has been adapted from an article in the Otago Daily
Times, Saturday 20 May 2000.)
Ideas
for classroom use
Reports such as this emphasise the importance of safety standards with
respect to consumer products.
Classroom discussion would reinforce in students the needs of the end
user in relation to the outcomes of technological practice – whether
these outcomes are products, systems, or environments.
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