Imagine your child’s life being put at risk by something you bought to protect her. That’s exactly what happened to George DeCell.
Those outlet plugs you have all over your house in the name of child-proofing? Turns out they could do more harm than good.
After George removed an outlet plug in order to vacuum the house, his one year old daughter Sage reached onto the kitchen table and grabbed it. “When I turned around she was on the floor unable to breath,” says George who then saved his daughter’s life. “It
took less than a minute for this to happen.”
George was so outraged that a product sold to protect children could harm them he has spent more than four years fighting to remove the standard sized plugs from the market to ensure that another child is not injured. What’s more, George also designed a patent-pending safe solution: SafetyCaps.
Whereas standard small outlet plugs measure 1 3/8 inches wide, SafetyCaps measure 2 1/4 inches and include air holes inspired by the US government’s pacifier anti-choking recommendations.
And for about $10 for a whole-house solution, this purchase is a no-brainer. Learn more and buy at www.safetycaps.com
By Kris on 09/11/08 in Parents, Featured, Main Feature, Editor Picks, Online Boutique of the Week, 2008 Business Spotlights
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September 12th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I really need to find parents who have had similar situations and it can be a choking incident but not a near death situation, A.K.A. they found or heard the child before the device actually lodged into the child’s
throat.
My daughter nearly suffocated on a safety device. Anyone else ever have this problem?
My daughter when she was just over one found a standard sized electrical outlet safety device, you know the little plastic plug in devices used her in the US to protect kids against electrical shock, and she stuck the
device into her little mouth. The so called Safety Device lodged itself into her throat. I saved her life.
I have been working ever since to rid the world of these standard sized outlet safety plugs. I tried to get the Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) to regulate these devices by having over 40 of the largest hospitals in the US and over 100 Safety Personal from almost every US State notify the CPSC that these standard sized plugs pose a choking
hazard. The CPSC won’t do so because they said they said that there isn’t enough data…A.K.A..’Reported’ Chokings.
I am on Underwriters Labs panel for Standard 2255 - receptacle closers. We write the voluntary standard on these devices. I asked the panel to vote to change the standard to require these devices to comply with Pacifier Anti-Choking regulations. To date, the vote is 4 in favor and 3 against.
This is not a win however because in need a majority. One of those against the standard will switch with proof that another child has choked (they don’t have to
have died) on a UL rated outlet plug.
Here are the questions:
Do you know anyone who has a child that has choked on one of these plugs?
If so have them email me at george@safetycaps.com
Do you know of any reporters that might like to do a story on this effort to help find kids who had choked on these plugs and end the needless potential for suffocation?
Thanks for caring!
October 7th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Hi,
I just happened across this article and am SO GLAD to hear someone has created a safer product. I had a son that would put everything in his mouth and sure enough he had one of the safety plugs in there one time. He has gagged on things much smaller than the dimensions of those plugs, so I know if I hadn’t been right there it could have been serious. THANK YOU for taking the initiative to create a product that actually will protect our children from electricity without unintended danger of choking.