Abstract

Over 27 Western Australian children die each year from preventable injuries, while a further 7000 are hospitalised. A large proportion of these injuries involve consumer products. The Western Australian Consumer Product Advocacy Network (WA CPAN) was established by Kidsafe WA with the support of the WA Department of Health. The network was formed to provide leadership in identifying unsafe products and exploring solutions to reduce childhood injuries related to products. The network consists of representatives from organisations involved in the regulation, safe use, injury prevention, treatment and sale of products. Key objectives of WA CPAN include: advocate for the removal of and/or modifications to products that pose an injury risk to children; increase the knowledge of key child injury prevention stakeholders about products available on the market that pose injury risks through their use/misuse; increase knowledge among parents and carers of the importance of choosing and using products that are designed to assist with reducing the risk of serious childhood injuries; and raise awareness of the importance of safer product design as identified through evidence and research.

WA CPAN plays an important role in identifying and addressing these safety issues to reduce the injury risk to children in our state. Since the establishment of WA CPAN, several product safety issues have been identified, discussed and acted upon. The strength of this collaboration comes from the varying skill sets, regulatory powers, communication channels, data access and clinical knowledge within the group. These attributes have enabled members of the network to discuss safety issues and take appropriate actions in a timely manner, to reduce the risk of childhood injuries related to products.

This presentation will provide an overview of the groups’ formation, some of the product safety issues identified and the actions taken by WA CPAN in dealing with the safety issues.