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Database of product injuries, deaths available from IRE

June 21, 2011

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This tricycle was recently voluntarily recalled after the Consumer Product Safety Commission received three reports of facial lacerations suffered by its riders.

Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) is offering the Consumer Product Safety Commission‘s injury and death database.

The 2006-2009 data includes records on more than 13,500 deaths, 100,000 injuries or potential injuries, and more than 17,000 in-depth investigations relating to consumer products.

“This database can add depth to routine stories and might even help alert the public to a potentially dangerous product,” write Jaimi Dowell, IRE training director, in an email.

“For example, according to death-certificate data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 1,500 people died from incidents involving swimming pools from 2006-2009. Over that same time, about 3,000 people died from accidents involving all-terrain vehicles including four-wheelers, three-wheelers, snowmobiles, golf carts, etc.”

The database consists of four tables, with information on the age, race, gender of the victim; location of the incident; and product type involved:

  1. Death certificates,
  2. Injury/potential injuries,
  3. In-depth investigations, and
  4. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

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