CPSC and Walmart Announce Pool Safely Partnership To Help Families Be Safer In and Around Pools and Spas
February 3, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Pool Safely campaign and global retailer Walmart announced today a partnership focused on addressing a serious public safety crisis: child drownings. CPSC and Walmart will collaborate to promote the Pool Safely campaign’s efforts to prevent fatal and non-fatal drownings in swimming pools and spas across the country.
“Childhood drownings are a public health crisis – they are also 100 percent preventable,” said CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye. “We’re pleased Walmart has agreed to work with us on these vital drowning prevention efforts across the nation. Our campaign recommends simple water safety steps, such as teaching children how to swim, having four-sided fencing, learning CPR, and maintaining constant supervision of children around water. A partnership of this magnitude, with a company with which so many Americans interact daily, will help put life-saving information in the hands of millions of families.”
“At Walmart, we are proud of our strong relationship with the CPSC and are excited to share its Pool Safely information with our customers, associates and suppliers,” said Walmart Vice President of U.S. Product Safety and Compliance Beth Schommer. “Walmart interacts with millions of individuals every week who might benefit from an increased awareness and better understanding of simple water safety steps. By partnering with the CPSC, we are able to provide this important information to many who otherwise might not have access to it, allowing them to stay safer in and around the water and to live better lives.”
Of the Pool Safely campaign’s nearly 900 partners, Walmart is the largest corporation.
As part of the agreement, Pool Safely will provide family friendly water safety materials, including Water Watcher cards, “The Adventures of Splish and Splash” smartphone app, and Pool Safely beach balls, for Walmart to share with its customers, suppliers and employees. Walmart will encourage learning to swim, install layers of protection, and closely supervise children in and around the water. Walmart will also encourage families to take the Pool Safely Pledge.
Since its inception in 2010, CPSC’s Pool Safely campaign has developed a network of partners–from local safety groups to national organizations, including the American Red Cross, YMCA of the USA, National Drowning Prevention Alliance, and the Boy Scouts of America–who have played a critical part in the campaign’s effort to increase awareness of water safety and prevent drownings and drain entrapments in pools and spas.
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About Pool Safely
Pool Safely, a national public education campaign supporting the requirements of Section 1407 of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, works with partners around the country to reduce fatal child drownings, non-fatal drownings and entrapment incidents in swimming pools and spas. Parents, caregivers and the media are encouraged to visit: PoolSafely.gov or @PoolSafely on Twitter for vital safety information regarding the prevention of child drownings in and around pools and spas.
About the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals – contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products in the past 40 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, go online to: SaferProducts.gov, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing and speech impaired. Consumers can obtain this news release and product safety information at www.cpsc.gov. To join a free e-mail subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/newsroom/subscribe.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, we serve nearly 260 million customers who visit our 11,598 stores under 65 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2015 revenue of $486 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.