Ordinary Life

by Kristin M. Lesney

Childhood Injury Prevention: Energizer Coin Lithium Battery Safety

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Healthy Family Lifestyle

When I think about all the devices in my home all too often I forget about the smallest of risks to my children.  Coin lithium batteries can be found around most homes in everyday items like remote controls, keyless entry devices for your car, flameless candles and children’s books with sound. If ingested, these coin-sized lithium batteries can cause serious chemical burns in as little as two hours.  Yet in a survey conducted by Energizer, 62 percent of parents reported being unaware of the risk associated with coin lithium batteries.

energizer child-resistant packaging

In support of National Childhood Injury Prevention Week (September 1-7, 2013), the National Safety Council and Energizer have teamed up to share some important tips every parent should know to help prevent injuries from the ingestion of Coin Lithium batteries to help keep kids safe.

The 4 S’s of Coin Lithium Battery Safety

  •  STORE devices that use coin lithium batteries out of reach of children
  •  SECURE the battery compartments of devices
  •  SELECT battery packaging that meets federal guidelines for child resistance, such as Energizer’s coin lithium battery packaging
  •  SHARE this information with your friends and family

 If it is suspected that a child has swallowed a coin lithium battery, it is important to go to the emergency department immediately. 

Energizer led the industry by being the first to voluntarily develop packaging for its 20 millimeter coin lithium batteries that meets the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) strict guidelines for child-resistant packaging.

Background on CPSC Child-Resistant Packaging

The CPSC imposes strict guidelines to determine if a packaging qualifies as effectively child-resistant. The packaging is tested with groups of children ages 42-51 months and also with senior adults ages 50-70. For a package to be child-resistant, a total of 80% of the children tested must not open the package in a full 10 minutes of testing. To make sure that adults are able to use a child-resistant package properly, 90% of adults tested have up to five minutes, and then another minute in a second test, to open and close the package (if applicable) so that it is child-resistant again.

To put the Energizer packing to the test our family was sent a prize pack with products to try out with our family.

Brooklin has a hard time with the Energizer packaging. The Energizer packaging was near impossible for her to get open but it’s easily designed for parents to open when needed with scissors. The other paper package was easy to open and she had the battery out within a few minutes.

For more information on child safety and coin lithium battery safety, please visit nsc.org, www.energizer.com, TheBatteryControlled.com and www.poison.org/battery.  

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Comments

  1. When we have small children around we make sure that small things like batteries are somewhere they can’t reach.

  2. I keep harmful things out of reach. I do think they could open them so that’s why I have to be extra careful.

  5. We keep such packages in a locked drawer in our kitchen.

    jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com

  7. Extra batteries are locked in my husbands tool box so kids cant get to them and i don’t think they could get them open.

  9. I keep our spare batteries in a cabinet out of reach of my daughter

    I don’t think my daughter could get the batteries open

  11. We keep things like this in a container on top of the refrigerator. I’m sure they’d find a way to open the package…

  12. being mindful of where they are stored and how they are disposed of for sure!

  13. I keep all that stuff in a top kitchen cabinet. It seems my grandkids can open anything.

  15. We keep anything dangerous up high where our children can’t get to it! Learned out lesson when our daughter got into the tylenol, luckily none was swallowed, so scary.

  16. We keep the batteries high in a toolbox/drawer above the washer machine

  18. we keep our batteries on a high shelf and make sure all the electronics have backings on tight

  25. My daughter is older now, but when she was younger I had them in a drawer she couldnt reach.

  26. I keep small things, especially batteries, stored away. I’ve learned to never underestimate my daughter when it comes to opening things – she has been knowing out to take the safety plugins out of the outlets for several months now. Needless to say, she keeps me very busy. 😀

  30. I just keep them out of reach and let them know how dangerous they are and to get me if the find one and I will pick it up.

  32. Our batteries are up away from the kids. I think my kids would find a way into the packaging.

  33. I have always kept the batteries up high, out f reach from kids and dogs.

  34. I keep batteries in their packaging in a big baggie in a closet. The kids don’t know that they are in there. But, I bet they could still open the package.
    jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com

  35. We store items like batteries out of reach and usually in the shed, above the fridge or in the laundry room. I don’t think the children would be able to open the packages either! But I always have scissors handy lol

  36. I keep them out of my daughters reach in a closet. I don’t think she could open the packaging,

  40. Batteries freak me out! One of my biggest fears is my children getting a hold of one and swallowing it. My nephew stuck this kind up his nose and it burned it! Thank god they caught it in time.

  43. I keep batteries, new and used, in the cabinets over the washer/dryer. I have a small niece that comes to visit and it only takes a minute or less for accidents to happen. Thank you for the giveaway.

  45. We keep all of our batteries on top of our freezer in a box with a lid. I feel that they are safe up there.

  46. We keep them in a container on a high shelf. I don’t think I could open it. I hate things that are hard to open though 🙁

  49. We tend to keep batteries where the kids can’t get to them and the packing is definitely near impossible for the kids.

  50. We put all of our batteries and other no-so-kid-friendly items in a special drawer that our 1 year old cannot reach. Our 6 year old can however reach this drawer. But he is really responsible for his age and knows not to put them in his mouth. He also knows that if he needs a new battery for something to ask for help getting them. I am sure he would be smart enough to get scissors if he did try to open this type of packaging, but there are very few circumstances in which he would be doing that on his own.

  51. we have a drawer with a child lock that the boys can not get in to

  52. Our batteries have always been stored high and away. Lithium batteries are used in toys, electronics and remote control devices that are not high and safe from reach of kids. The battery cases of those toys should be screwed down to secure the battery from the often very young child using the toy. There are no absolute childproof containers; it has to come down to parents keeping the kids and pets safe.

    I like the idea of having a secure storage ‘safe’ device that all reserve batteries should be kept in. That and clear warning to parents on the packages that this particular battery has been swallowed by both pets and dogs, how dangerous that is and how legally they are responsible for safe storage and use.

  54. We store all batteries in our wine cellar cabinet locked and far away from the kids!

  57. Reflectors on their back pack. And shoes. Flash lights for when out at night.

  58. We store our batteries high in a cabinet that my little ones can’t reach

  59. Keep batteries up and out of reach. I agree, they are quite masterful at opening anything.

    wendym at cableone dot net

  60. Our batteries are stored in a very high cupboard. As far as packaging goes, I never underestimate a child.