Knives, Lighters & Matches
Spot it
A knife block, peeler or grater a child can reach; a lighter or book of matches in the junk drawer, a purse or a low shelf.
Fix it
Store knives and other blades out of reach or behind a lock, and keep lighters and matches the same way. CPSC has required disposable and novelty lighters to be child-resistant since 1994; that slows a child down rather than making a lighter child-proof, and CPSC's lighter rule (16 CFR 1210) does not cover matches. Treat both as locked-away items.
Safer swaps
What actually fixes this — the category to look for, not a brand we were paid to name.
Move knives, lighters and matches to a high shelf or a locked drawerHabit
Free, and it works for the matches the lighter rule doesn't cover
Drawer lock for the knife drawer
For knives you use daily and can't store high
No shopping list for this hazard — the fix is a habit, not a purchase.
Sources cited
Sources
- After the child-resistant lighter rule took effect in 1994, deaths from children playing with lighters fell 43% — from 230 in 1994 to 130 in 1998 — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (incl. SaferProducts.gov), 2000 (how we check this source)
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.