Treadmills can cause serious friction burns to your child

Recently, a two year old Queensland girl required skin grafts to both hands and forearms after suffering serious burns and other injuries after becoming trapped by the rotating belt of a treadmill. This incident follows a similar accident in South Australia recently and is a timely reminder to all parents of the dangers posed by treadmills to children.

From 2005 to 2008 there were more than 100 serious accidents associated with treadmills in Australian homes. The most common injuries to children are friction burns. Any treadmill sold since 1 December 2009 is subject to a mandatory Australian standard which requires it to have a label warning consumers of potential hazards.

There are a number of steps parents can take to help ensure the safety of their child around treadmills:
- select a machine with protective covers and ensure it has a safety stop switch to stop it quickly
- if you already have a treadmill, consider placing it in a separate room or use safety barriers to keep it out of the reach of children
- always keep the machine unplugged when not in use and keep the area around the treadmill clear of objects.

For more information on treadmill safety visit the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Product Safety Australia website at www.productsafety.gov.au.

Follow Product Safety at the ACCC on Twitter: @ProductSafetyAU