Another home paper shredder hurts a child

Every year as many as 100 children and pets are hurt in accidents involving a home paper shredder.   According to a story reported by an ABC news affiliate in San Francisco, a two year old by the name of Aaron living just outside of LA, was watching his mother shred papers.  In the time that it took for his mother to get more papers to shred, the child had accidentally put his fingers into the throat of the shredder.  The results were enough to cause panic for any mother:  a child crying, with blood all over his hands, and fingers that are sliced with what appeared to be significant damage. 

This type of accident has happened with home paper shredders because the voluntary standards enacted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission is currently a voluntary standard to help keep fingers out of the throat of these devices.  What is just as problematic is that the standards that are now in place require that manufacturers prevent a 12 year olds fingers from being able to gain access through the unit to the cutting blades.  The problem is that smaller fingers like those of two year old Aaron are able to easily fit into the most dangerous part of these units.  Many manufacturers are already addressing this issue, but as many older units are still in homes as well as offices throughout the country, this will continue to be a potential problem.

The problem has been exacerbated by the proliferation of paper shredders in the home.  Once considered as just an office device, shredders are make their way into the home in record numbers as more people are setting up home offices.  Additionally, as more and more people become aware of the threat of identity theft and fraud, sales of shredding equipment has become more common.  While this is helping prevent consumer fraud, it is putting children and pets at risk.

A home paper shredder is an important purchase for protecting your personal information, but caution must be taken especially when their are small children or pets in the home.  After every use, unplug your shredder.