The Consumer Product Safety Commission considers them a hazardous product [Lenore Skenazy, Free-Range Kids]
Posts Tagged ‘safety’
U.K.: “Cheese-rolling race axed after 200 years”
It’s seen as too risky [Daily Mail, UK] Local authorities will try to bring the event back next year; we covered an earlier suspension in 2003.
P.S. Commenter Peter Eipers: “They can’t handle crowd control for a cheese race, and they are about to host the Olympics?” More: Zincavage.
One crazy incident = everyone’s liberty restricted
And then repeat x10,000 [Jeremy Clarkson, Times Online (U.K.) via Free-Range Kids]
“It’s a perfectly safe childhood, minus the childhood part”
Lenore Skenazy (Free-Range Kids) in the Washington Post on the urge to protect children from hot dogs and countless other statistically rare dangers. Quotes me on the litigation that led to the warning labels [Washington Post]
Cut grapes into pea-sized portions?
It seems the American Academy of Pediatrics wants just about every non-pureed food you can think of — carrots, apples, hot dogs — to carry a warning label about the risk of choking to children. “Some say other risky foods, including hard candies, popcorn, peanuts and marshmallows, shouldn’t be given to young children at all.” [AP; Free-Range Kids] More from Patrick at Popehat: “What Are Your Child’s Odds Of Choking To Death On A Hot Dog?”
And: For better child safety, think like an economist, says Steven Horwitz: don’t let worst-case scenarios rule your thinking and recognize that every good comes with tradeoffs [Free-Range Kids]
Government-created risk
“How the U.S. government poisoned alcohol during Prohibition, with deadly consequences.” [Blum/Slate] A little while back I did an article for Reason on the surprisingly frequent role government has played in promoting and furthering products that pose a risk to life and limb.
P.S. It’s still going on, though with a lower toll: ethanol sold for nondrinking use is “denatured” and made poisonous by law (h/t James Fulford in comments, Alex Tabarrok)
Australia: “Bosses rapped for valid sacking”
“The nation’s industrial umpire has ruled that a long-term employee who was legitimately sacked for repeated safety breaches must be reinstated and paid compensation because of his poor education and poor job prospects.” [The Australian]
Unintended results of bicycle helmet laws
It seems while reducing bicycle fatalities, the laws also significantly reduce bicycle use. It’s not clear to what extent kids may be shifting to other risky (or riskier) activities like skateboarding, and to what extent they may simply be becoming more sedentary as a consequence.
“The greatest risk is living swaddled in bubble wrap”
What some have labelled “a worst-case scenario” approach to daily life has even reached Whitehall, the seat of [British] government itself. In front of the magnificent horse guards who stand guard in rain and shine to the delight of tourists, someone has placed an official sign on the pavement explaining, just in case humanity hadn’t twigged the fact, that “these horses may kick or bite”.
[Michael Simkins, National (Emirates) via Legal Blog Watch]
January 20 roundup
- Renewed attention to Amirault case contributed to Coakley’s political nosedive [e.g., Jacob Weisberg of Slate via Kaus, earlier] First time a Massachusetts prosecutor has paid a political price over that episode?
- Many, many Democratic elected officials call for rethinking/renegotiating Obamacare rather than trying to force it through [e.g. Barney Frank] Blue Mass blogger: talk radio fueled ire at Coakley, let’s have FCC shut it down [Graham]
- “Big Brother and the Salt Shaker” [NY Times “Room for Debate”, Food Liability Law, earlier on NYC initiative and more] NYU’s Marion Nestle “loves” being called a nanny statist, so we’ll just go right on calling her that [Crispy on the Outside]
- Terror suspects win right to seek compensation from UK government over restrictions on their activities [Canadian Press]
- “Men Without Hats. Meaning no hard hats. Meaning The Safety Dance never met OSHA requirements. No wonder it was shut down.” [Tim Siedell a/k/a Bad Banana]
- Italian judge orders father to go on paying $550/month living allowance to his student daughter, who is 32 [Guardian/SMH, earlier on laws mandating support of adult children]
- Two informants vie for potential bonanza of whistleblower status against Johnson & Johnson [Frankel, AmLaw Litigation Daily]
- “Polling Firm Says John Edwards Is Its Most Unpopular Person Ever” [Lowering the Bar]