Bath Seats - A Summary
Bath seats for babies can give a false sense of security with fatal outcomes. (
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Summary
The baby bath seat provides a good example of how the consequences of not following manufacturers’ instructions can be fatal, even when the warnings specified in the European standard EN 138221 are clearly displayed on the product.
RoSPA records show 78 under-5s have drowned in baths over a 14-year period. 53 (2/3rds) were under 2 years old. At least 6 fatal drownings involved the use of bath seats - all one year and under.
There is no official database of drowning accidents. RoSPA collects this information from newspaper reports. Several have mentioned the use of bath seats and evidence given to the courts by carers includes “the child was left in the bath only for a moment - to answer the door/’phone."
Under the General Product Safety Directive2 which will be updated and applied in this country under revised General Product Safety Regulations3 a prospective purchaser must be given sufficient information in order to assess the risk presented by a product.
The information surrounding the use of baby bath seats, because it has led to serious outcomes, must be provided to consumers in order for them to make an informed judgement as to whether or not to purchase the product. A conspicuous, legible and durable label at the point of sale and a further notice on the packaging may be necessary to comply with this requirement.
Proposal
A notice should be prominently displayed where Baby Bath Seats are offered for sale: “5 babies drown in baths each year in UK – NEVER leave your child in the bath”. A similar notice should be marked prominently on all packages of Baby Bath Seats.
David Jenkins
Product Safety Advisor
RoSPA
Email: help@rospa.com
1 EN 13822 Bath seats
2 General Product Safety Directive [92/59/EEC]
3 General Product Safety Regulations 1994 [SI 1994 No.2328]
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