(Image used under: Creative Commons 3.0 [SRC])

Child gets foot stuck in escalator due to the Croc brand shoes she was wearing. Most disturbing is this:

CPSC is aware of 77 entrapment incidents since January 2006, with about half resulting in injury. All but two of the incidents involved popular soft-sided flexible clogs and slides.

What the hell is the Consumer Product and Safety Commission doing if they know about this problem and aren't doing anything about it? Of course, if the current head of the CPSC is as bad as the one Bush nominated last time, this is hardly a shock.

Is it supposed to do that?

(Image used under: Creative Commons 2.0 [SRC])

Public Citizen reports that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has begun a service that will notify consumers by e-mail of any product safety recalls. While some manufacturers will do this voluntarily, some won't and even if they do, they usually ask for you to register all your products (including loads of personal information you don't want to give).

For example, Selina Patten, of Manassas, Va., had a close call when the recalled plastic nail from a Playskool toy tool bench became lodged in the throat of her 3-year-old daughter. She was able to remove the nail before serious injury occurred. She later discovered the product had been recalled after the death of two toddlers, though she did not hear about it.

Here are some of the common recalled product lines:

* Outdoor products: such as grills and outdoor furniture for porch or patio * Outdoor power equipment: air compressors and gas pool heaters * Children’s products: outerwear with drawstrings, necklaces that contain lead, battery packs for toy vehicles, and flashing pacifiers * Power tools: cut-out tools, nailers, circular saws and pressure washers * Household products: fans, candles * Electronics: computer batteries, remote controls

Note: This requires no registration of any kind! You do not have to tell them what products you have and the only personal information (if you can call it that) that they ask for is an e-mail address. There's also very little chance of them spamming you since they are a government agency.