C/P/R Law April Update

By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Apr 20, 2020

C/P/R and COVID-19

As is everyone, CPR is monitoring the COVID-19 Corona virus. We are complying with the CDC guidelines and urge you to do the same. Our CPR team is working remotely and remains available via phone, email and video conference to help in these uncertain times. CPR has spent substantial time and resources to insure uninterrupted communication with clients, co-counsel and the courts.In fact, Harry Roth & Chris Placitella have participated in multiple webinars intended to assist other lawyers working remotely.

CPR has also sponsored meals for the homeless and assisted with the donation of medical supplies to local hospitals.

For recommendations from the CDC, please check this link. Together, we will get through this.

C/P/R in Continuing Legal Education…

C/P/R’s Chris Placitella chaired the annual Multi County Litigation Seminar sponsored by the NJ State Bar Association. This year’s seminar focused on the release of the NJSBA Mass Tort and Class Action Treatise. Jared Placitella & Chris Placitella are the Co-Editors.

Home Safety Tips

Due to the circumstances presented by COVID-19, Americans are staying home from school, work, and most activities in order to combat this unprecedented public health crisis. For parents at home with their children, this may be a good time to review the most common causes of childhood household injury.

Common Household Dangers

These household dangers lurk in many homes, risking the safety and lives of children:

• Batteries: Each year more than 2,800 children are treated in the emergency room for swallowing button batteries. These small, coin-sized batteries are found in everything from birthday cards to key fobs to remote controls.
• Tip-overs: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that a child dies every two weeks from furniture, television and appliance tip-overs.
• Fireplaces: Screens or barriers should always be used to prevent small children from fireplace burns. Remember that glass doors can stay hot for an hour after the fire is out.
• Liquid laundry packets: Pods and packets can look like candy to a small child. More than 400 children are hospitalized each year after ingesting laundry packets.

Use this resource from Safe Kids Worldwide to identify and eliminate risk areas in your home and help prevent serious injuries.

Household Safety Checklist

Every house is different. Use this top-to-bottom checklist as a starting point to keep your home a safe haven throughout shelter-in-place social distancing and beyond.

1. Child Bedrooms:

• Keep curtains and blind cords out of reach.
• Cribs should have no dangling strings or cords attached to or hanging above them.
• Keep night-lights away from any fabric that could catch fire.

2. Bathrooms:

• Keep the toilet seat cover down at all times and consider using a toilet lid latch.
• Use a nonskid bath mat in the bathtub and on the floor.
• Keep all medicines, toiletries, cosmetics and cleaning supplies out of a child’s reach. Make sure all medicines have child-resistant caps.
• Unplug and store hair dryers, curling irons and other electrical appliances out of a child’s reach.

3. Kitchen:

• Store sharp knives and utensils in a drawer with child-proof locks.
• Keep cleaning supplies locked or out of a child’s reach.
• Small appliances should be stored away or at least unplugged when not in use. Tuck away all cords.
• Store chairs and stools away from counters and the stove to prevent climbing children from injury.

4. Throughout the Home:

• Install smoke alarms inside every bedroom, outside every bedroom and on every level of the home.
• Pad sharp edges and corners of tables.
• Keep houseplants out of reach as some may be poisonous.
• Make sure TVs, bookshelves, dressers and other heavy furniture are secured with tip-over protection.
• Place a barrier around fireplaces or other heat sources.
• Store matches, lighters and candles out of reach.
• Keep an eye out for any small items a child could choke on. And don’t forget to frequently check in, under and around furniture.
• Store guns in a secure location, ammunition in a separate secure location.

Safety in The Kitchen [Video]

Kids are helping in the kitchen more than ever these days. Keep those new sous-chefs safe with these tips on cooking safely with kids.