Did you know that household cleaning products and medications are often responsible for poisoning in kids? This is why child-resistant packaging is crucial. It is designed to reduce the risk of young consumers successfully opening a package and ingesting the harmful contents.
A common example of child-resistant packaging is the safety cap that is typically used on prescription and over-the-counter medicine bottles. These caps have a special locking mechanism that either requires the user to turn and lift, push and turn, or squeeze and turn.
Another common example of child-resistant packaging is a blister pack. These packages use a multi-layer backing made from aluminum and PVC to make the packaging more difficult for kids to open. However, adults can still open the packaging by peeling the back and pushing the tablet through the material.
Child-resistant packaging is required if a product poses a risk of injury or illness for kids under five. It’s also required if the product contains pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cannabis, nicotine, herbal medicine, cleaning chemicals, and lawn and garden chemicals. Products such as cosmetics and mouthwash may also require this secure packaging.
Despite the use of child-resistant packaging, unintended poisonings still occur each year. In fact, about 3.3 million individuals encounter or ingest a toxic substance. For this reason, child-resistant packaging is constantly being improved.
One way this can be achieved by is by developing a more inaccessible design. However, the design still needs to allow ease of access for adults, especially the elderly. Additionally, designs that avoid bright colors and shapes are less likely to attract the attention of children.
Another way to enhance packaging is through adequate assessment. For example, the product can be tested with separate groups of kids to see if the design is accessible to them or not.
To learn more about the importance of child-resistant packaging, see the accompanying resource.
Infographic created by MGS Machine Corporation