I attended my final board meeting for Kids in Danger (KID) today. It is a sad day for children’s product safety in America. While I feel sad and know that there is so much more to be done to keep children safe, I want to acknowledge the wonderful work done by KID and its staff. KID was founded by Linda Ginzel and Boaz Keysar in memory of their son Danny, who died in an unsafe and poorly designed portable crib. Since 1999, KID has been dedicated to holding manufacturers and regulatory agencies accountable, collaborated with product designers and engineers and educated caregivers about safety hazards and recalls. Throughout their 26 years, they have been an incredible partner of Safe Kids Chicago.
I want to take the opportunity to highlight some of their accomplishments.
· Helping to pass the Illinois Children’s Product Safety Act in 1999.
· Worked with a coalition of consumer groups to pass Danny’s Law, a key component of the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. This law puts strong standards and mandatory testing in place for children’s products and led to many safety improvements.
· Worked with engineering students to develop new leaders in product safety and launched the KID Design Safety Toolkit.
KID has also worked with several parent groups to assist with the passage of other safety legislation such as the STURDY Act which sets standards for furniture prevent tip-overs and Reese’s Law which sets button battery standards.
KID and its staff including Nancy Cowles and Dev Gowda have saved the lives of countless children. Safe Kids Chicago salutes their wonderful legacy and pledges to continue to fight for children’s product safety.
Thank you, KID!
Commentaires