CPSC stresses firework safety with 7-minute montage of mannequin mayhem
The nation is nearing July 4th, so you know what that means: traffic, hot dogs, and a dramatic uptick in the number of absolutely avoidable fireworks-related accidents. Thousands of people are hurt every year due to pyrotechnic mishaps. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that there were about 14,700 incidents and 11 reported deaths in 2024 alone—a 52- and 38-percent year-over-year increase for each respective outcome. There were also about 1,700 emergency room visits last year thanks to misused or malfunctioning fireworks, over a third of which related to hand and finger injuries. But as a recent CPSC public service announcement posted to social media makes clear, bodily extremities aren’t the only bits to look out for while celebrating American independence. On Bluesky, your national product safety experts issued a friendly reminder that fireworks are liable to behave exactly as miniature, gunpowder-laden bombs are designed to behave: That is...