Household Refrigerator Safety Act

The headlines are too familiar and too tragic: "Children, 4 and 7, Found in Old Refrigerator, Dead From Suffocation." The Household Refrigerator Safety Act was passed to prevent children from becoming trapped inside refrigerators and suffocating to death. The Act, which was passed in 1958, requires refrigerators to be capable of being opened from the inside. The Act makes it unlawful for a person to sell or deliver in interstate commerce any household refrigerator that is not equipped with a device that allows it to be opened from the inside. Any person who violates the Act is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of not more than $ 1,000, or both. Over the years, manufacturers of other household appliances have voluntarily redesigned such products as clothes dryers to provide safety doors.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

The main objective of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products. The Commission is charged with enforcing the Act, as well as other consumer-related laws. The Commission also has authority to adopt rules setting standards for devices that will enable the doors of a refrigerator to be opened easily from the inside.

Safety Tips

Most accidents involving refrigerators are caused by lack of parental attention. Most suffocation accidents occur while the refrigerator is empty for cleaning. To prevent such accidents, take a few food items out at a time when cleaning and do not allow children near the refrigerator while it is being cleaned. As an additional safety tip, the Commission recommends removing the door of an old refrigerator that is being discarded or stored so as to prevent children from becoming trapped inside.

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