Most folks know I generally resist passing on those "danger in your everyday environment" emails and do my best to debunk alot of them. Snopes.com is one of my favourite web sites, run by determined volunteer "mythbusters" who work hard to reassure us that floor mops do not kill dogs and there is no psychotic perfume salesman actually macing women at the shopping mall.
Snopes current list, however, includes a CONFIRMATION of a recently circulated email warning of the danger of household paper shredders. There are numerous, valid reports of children and pets being maimed, and in the case of pets, killed, as a result of these very common home office tools.
The article is here at Snopes. WARNING!!! The reports are graphic, and disturbing. You don't need to read it if you're feeling overly sensitive, here's the key point:
TURN OFF, DISCONNECT, UNPLUG, OR REMOVE THE BATTERIES from household paper shredders unless you, an ADULT person, are directly making use of such a tool. NEVER leave a paper shredder set in an "auto" mode, which causes it to turn on if something contacts the blades. NEVER leave a paper shredder unattended anywhere a child or pet might possibly gain access to it.
These are common and useful tools in any home office - but because they were designed with office/industrial environments in mind, they have no safety features aimed at preventing small fingers or curious snouts from getting to the blades.
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1 comment:
Those are great tips, I actually posted some of them on another related blog today. You can also be sure that you have a shredder that has a safety feature that will shut off when a hand, finger, or paw gets near the opening. One such manufacturer that has that safety feature is Fellowes.
http://www.fellowes.com/Fellowes/site/safesense/default.aspx
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