Baby Pools, Child Floating Devices and Pool Covers Top Summer Safety List

By Linda Bock (Patch staff)

Summer is just days away now, and a Boston-based consumer safety groups is urging parents and guardians to become aware of summer safety traps and potentially harmful toys.

World Against Toys Causing Harm Inc., also known as W.A.T.C.H., presented its Summer Safety Report for 2015 on Tuesday. The report highlights a variety of warm weather safety traps that parents need to be concerned about this summer season.

The over 2.5 million children injured in accidents each summer can drop significantly with increased awareness about safety issues.mer is here and wbz toys to avoid, according to the organization.

W.A.T.C.H. revealed its 10 top “Summer Safety Traps” this week as examples of some of the many different types of hazards parents and caregivers need to avoid to safeguard children this summer season.

Heading this year’s list, according to the organization, are baby pools, child floating devices and swimming pool covers.

Click here to read the full report.

At a press conference at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston, Consumer Advocates Joan E. Siff, President of W.A.T.C.H., and James A. Swartz, a nationally known trial attorney and Director of W.A.T.C.H., discussed their summer safety concerns, including some lesser-known warm weather safety traps and recreational products that parents need to avoid to help prevent tragic accidents this season.

Safety concerns highlighted in this year’s report also included backyard trampolines, inflatable recreational products, non-motorized scooters, moveable soccer goalposts, bicycle helmet straps, realistic looking toy guns, and toys with small parts.

Siff and Swartz noted that at least 174 children between the ages of 1 and 14 drowned in swimming pools or spas last summer.