The announcement was made by CPSC and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) at a press event in Brussels, Belgium. The purpose of the initiative is to raise international consumer awareness on button battery safety.

“The Toy Industry Association (TIA) is supportive of these collective efforts to prevent battery-related incidents by educating parents and caregivers about keeping small batteries out of reach from children,” said Joan Lawrence, TIA vice president of standards and regulatory affairs.  “Batteries – especially small, button batteries – can pose a serious health hazard if swallowed.”

There is a long-standing U.S. safety standard requiring that batteries in toys be inaccessible to young children; the effectiveness of this toy standard has made it a model for the development of standards across other product categories. 

However, vigilance is still needed, said Lawrence.  “When changing batteries in a toy or other product, adults should be careful to never leave small batteries within a child’s reach,” she said. “Once the battery has been changed, it’s also important to remember to re-engage the locking mechanism that keeps the battery in place.” 

Most ingestion incidents occur with non-toy battery-operated products in the home. Parents and caregivers should be aware that these products do not need to comply with the same strict safety standards that are in place for toys. According to the CPSC, some of these items include keyless entry devices, hearing aids, scales, calculators, TV remote controls and clocks.

“Preventing battery-related incidents is a priority at CPSC,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Bob Adler. “Today, our collective voices in this worldwide effort will make this a global priority.”

CPSC has reached out to battery manufacturers and is “encouraged by recent efforts that have resulted in new safety warnings and packaging changes.” The agency will continue working with industry, public health officials and the global community to help prevent coin cell battery-related incidents.

A full list of countries participating in the international button battery safety campaign is available at the end of CPSC’s press release.

Industry and consumers are invited to join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #worldbatterysafety.