Full Text of HB4638 97th General Assembly
HB4638ham001 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY | Rep. Emily McAsey Filed: 3/26/2012
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| 1 | | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4638
| 2 | | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4638 on page 1, | 3 | | immediately below line 1, by inserting the following: | 4 | | "Section 1. Purpose. Research concludes that crib and | 5 | | bassinet bumpers are dangerous. From 1985-2005, 27 accidental | 6 | | deaths attributable to bumper pads were reported by medical | 7 | | examiners or coroners. A report, published in a 2007 issue of a | 8 | | prominent pediatric journal, concludes that the data does not | 9 | | suggest any way in which changes in bumper design can reduce | 10 | | the risk of death. | 11 | | According to an investigative report conducted on the | 12 | | expansion of recommendations for a safe infant sleeping | 13 | | environment, in light of risks associated with sudden infant | 14 | | death syndrome, cribs should meet safety standards of the | 15 | | Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Juvenile Product | 16 | | Manufacturers Association, and the ASTM International, | 17 | | including those for slat spacing, snugly fitting and firm |
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| 1 | | mattresses, and no drop sides. | 2 | | One of the most prominent national professional | 3 | | organizations of pediatricians recommends the use of new cribs, | 4 | | because older cribs might no longer meet current safety | 5 | | standards, might have missing parts, or might be incorrectly | 6 | | assembled. If an older crib is to be used, care must be taken | 7 | | to ensure that there have been no recalls on the crib model, | 8 | | that all of the hardware is intact, and that the assembly | 9 | | instructions are available. | 10 | | For some families, use of a crib might not be possible for | 11 | | financial reasons or space considerations. In addition, | 12 | | parents might be reluctant to place the infant in the crib | 13 | | because of concerns that the crib is too large for the infant | 14 | | or that "crib death" only occurs in cribs. Alternate sleep | 15 | | surfaces, such as portable cribs, play yards, and bassinets | 16 | | might be more acceptable for some families, because they are | 17 | | smaller and more portable. Local organizations throughout the | 18 | | United States can help to provide low-cost or free cribs or | 19 | | play yards. If a portable crib, play yard, or bassinet is to be | 20 | | used, it
should meet the following CPSC guidelines: (i) sturdy | 21 | | bottom and wide base;
(ii) smooth surfaces without protruding | 22 | | hardware;
(iii) legs with locks to prevent folding while in | 23 | | use; and (iv) firm, snugly fitting mattress. | 24 | | In addition, other guidelines for safe sleep, including | 25 | | supine positioning and avoidance of soft objects and loose | 26 | | bedding, should be followed. Mattresses should be firm and |
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| 1 | | should maintain their shape even when the fitted sheet | 2 | | designated for that model is used, such that there are no gaps | 3 | | between the mattress and the side of the bassinet, playpen, | 4 | | portable crib, or play yard. | 5 | | Only mattresses designed for the specific product should be | 6 | | used. Pillows or cushions should not be used as substitutes for | 7 | | mattresses or in addition to a mattress. Any fabric on the | 8 | | sides or a canopy should be taut and firmly attached to the | 9 | | frame so as not to create a suffocation risk for the infant. | 10 | | Portable cribs, play yards, and bassinets with vertical sides | 11 | | made of air-permeable material may be preferable to those with | 12 | | air-impermeable sides. | 13 | | Finally, parents and caregivers should adhere to the | 14 | | manufacturer's guidelines regarding maximum weight of infants | 15 | | using these products. If the product is a combination product, | 16 | | the manual should be consulted when the mode of use is changed. | 17 | | Bedding is used in infant sleep environments for comfort | 18 | | and safety. Parents and caregivers who perceive that infants | 19 | | are uncomfortable on firm surfaces will often attempt to soften | 20 | | the surface with blankets and pillows. Parents and caregivers | 21 | | will also use pillows and blankets to create barriers to | 22 | | prevent the infant from falling off the sleep surface or to | 23 | | prevent injury if the infant hits the crib side. However, such | 24 | | soft bedding can increase the potential of suffocation and | 25 | | re-breathing. Pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, and | 26 | | other soft surfaces are hazardous when placed under the infant |
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| 1 | | or left loose in the infant's sleep area and can increase SIDS | 2 | | risk up to 5-fold independent of sleep position. Several | 3 | | reports have also described that in many SIDS cases, the heads | 4 | | of the infants, including some infants who slept supine, were | 5 | | covered by loose bedding. It should be noted that the risk of | 6 | | SIDS increases 21-fold when the infant is placed prone with | 7 | | soft bedding. In addition, soft and loose bedding have both | 8 | | been associated with accidental suffocation deaths. The CPSC | 9 | | has reported that the majority of sleep-related infant deaths | 10 | | in its database are attributable to suffocation involving | 11 | | pillows, quilts, and extra bedding. It is therefore recommended | 12 | | that infants sleep on a firm surface without any soft or loose | 13 | | bedding. Pillows, quilts, and comforters should never be in the | 14 | | infant's sleep environment. Specifically, these items should | 15 | | not be placed loose near the infant, between the mattress and | 16 | | the sheet, or under the infant. Infant sleep clothing that is | 17 | | designed to keep the infant warm without the possible hazard of | 18 | | head covering or entrapment can be used in place of blankets; | 19 | | however, care must be taken to select appropriately sized | 20 | | clothing and to avoid overheating. If a blanket is used, it | 21 | | should be thin and tucked under the mattress so as to avoid | 22 | | head or face covering. These practices should also be modeled | 23 | | in hospital settings. | 24 | | It is the purpose of this legislation to conform to the | 25 | | safety and precautionary standards established by the American | 26 | | Academy of Pediatrics as of December 28, 2011, and it should be |
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| 1 | | interpreted thusly."; and | 2 | | on page 1, immediately below line 7, by inserting the | 3 | | following:
| 4 | | " (a) Findings. The General Assembly finds and declares that | 5 | | bumper pads are unsafe for use in cribs. Bumper pads increase | 6 | | the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), accidental | 7 | | suffocation and strangulation deaths in infants, as well as | 8 | | non-fatal injuries such as contusions. While the use of bumper | 9 | | pads prevents only minor injuries, the significant risks from | 10 | | using bumper pads outweigh the possible benefits provided by | 11 | | crib bumper pads. "; and | 12 | | on page 1, line 8, by replacing " (a) " with " (b) "; and | 13 | | on page 1, line 16, by replacing " (b) " with " (c) "; and | 14 | | on page 1, line 19, by replacing " (c) " with " (d) ".
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