Drive to Shred Documents Puts Kids and Pets at Risk

"The industry is very much aware of the potential hazard" said the association's president, Steven Jacober. Several firms already have redesigned their shredders to reduce risks, while the industry as a whole is working with CPSC officials and the independent testing organization Underwriters Laboratories Inc. to develop a new voluntary safety standard for shredders sold in the United States.

There have been about 10 lawsuits filed against Royal Consumer Information Products Inc., which sells about 25 percent of shredders nationwide. Most of the lawsuits have been settled. "We're very concerned," said Todd Althoff, Royal's vice president for marketing and product development. The company has redesigned its machines and "done everything we can to try to prevent any accident," he said, adding that there is nothing inherently wrong with the shredder. "The problems we've had is that parents have allowed children -- very young children, 2 and under -- to shred paper and use it as a toy. It's not a toy."

In a study of shredder injuries, the CPSC staff said young children use the machine differently than adults. "Adult users tend to let go of the paper to permit it to complete its travel. In contrast, pre-logical-thinking children are not conscious of hazards to themselves and, therefore, may not let go of the paper -- holding onto it as it is being pulled in."

Growing concerns about shredder safety reflect changes in how the product is being used, said John Drengenberg, Underwriters Laboratories' consumer affairs manager. Until recently, the shredder was primarily used in offices, and there were "never any problems because adults were cognizant of what they were doing."

The CPSC staff said that the UL safety standard for shredders was not designed with toddlers in mind. Shredders were supposed to be designed in such a way that it was impossible to insert a finger-sized probe into the opening. The CPSC staff said the probe used in the test was too large to protect small children's fingers. UL said its test was adequate, but nonetheless it is working with the agency and manufacturers to develop a new test that uses a smaller and thinner probe. "I can't even think of baby fingers that thin," Drengenberg said.

The standard is expected to be approved by the industry quickly. Even so, it won't take effect for at least another 15 months. While some machines may already meet the standard or will meet it before that deadline, there are still millions of older shredders in homes that do not.

That concerns Mike Atkinson, a Tulsa lawyer who has filed 10 lawsuits representing shredder-injury victims.

"Parents need to remember that paper shredders and children do not mix," Atkinson said.