TY - JOUR
T1 - Clothing drawstring entrapment in playground slides and school buses
T2 - Contributing factors and potential interventions
AU - Drago, Dorothy A.
AU - Winston, Flaura K.
AU - Baker, Susan P.
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - Objectives: To identify factors associated with the entrapment of children by clothing drawstrings and to explore intervention strategies that could be implemented through a voluntary standard to reduce or eliminate injuries. Design: Fifty eight cases reported to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission between January 1, 1985, and June 30, 1995, that involved the entrapment of children's clothing drawstrings in other products were reviewed. A computerized database was created for information about the victim, clothing, object in which the drawstring caught, and injury circumstances. Factors were analyzed by their contribution to preevent, event, and postevent phases, using a modified Haddon matrix. Results: Two primary and distinct hazard patterns were identified: (1) strangulation by hanging associated with the snagging of a hood or neck drawstring in a gap between segments of playground slides and (2) vehicular dragging associated with the snagging of a waist or bottom drawstring in a school bus handrail or door. Conclusions: Potential intervention strategies targeting clothing drawstrings include (1) remove drawstrings; (2) shorten drawstrings, sew them to the channel, and remove toggles and knots; and (3) design breakaway drawstrings. Based on available data, the only feasible intervention is removal of drawstrings. Improved supervision and increased awareness are in themselves infeasible interventions, but they can be interim or supplemental measures.
AB - Objectives: To identify factors associated with the entrapment of children by clothing drawstrings and to explore intervention strategies that could be implemented through a voluntary standard to reduce or eliminate injuries. Design: Fifty eight cases reported to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission between January 1, 1985, and June 30, 1995, that involved the entrapment of children's clothing drawstrings in other products were reviewed. A computerized database was created for information about the victim, clothing, object in which the drawstring caught, and injury circumstances. Factors were analyzed by their contribution to preevent, event, and postevent phases, using a modified Haddon matrix. Results: Two primary and distinct hazard patterns were identified: (1) strangulation by hanging associated with the snagging of a hood or neck drawstring in a gap between segments of playground slides and (2) vehicular dragging associated with the snagging of a waist or bottom drawstring in a school bus handrail or door. Conclusions: Potential intervention strategies targeting clothing drawstrings include (1) remove drawstrings; (2) shorten drawstrings, sew them to the channel, and remove toggles and knots; and (3) design breakaway drawstrings. Based on available data, the only feasible intervention is removal of drawstrings. Improved supervision and increased awareness are in themselves infeasible interventions, but they can be interim or supplemental measures.
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U2 - 10.1001/archpedi.1997.02170380076012
DO - 10.1001/archpedi.1997.02170380076012
M3 - Article
C2 - 9006532
AN - SCOPUS:0031032083
SN - 1072-4710
VL - 151
SP - 72
EP - 77
JO - Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
JF - Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
IS - 1
ER -