Infant and Toddler Concussions Occur... Sharp Increase in Falls from Diaper Changing Stations

171 Accidents in 3 Years
All Falls... 40 Cases of Concussion

Accidents involving infants falling from diaper changing tables have significantly increased. In severe cases, these incidents have led to infant concussions.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency on the 23rd, a total of 171 hazard reports related to diaper changing tables were submitted to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CIS) from 2020 to June of this year. Notably, in the first half of this year alone, 85.9% of the total cases from the previous year were reported, indicating a sharp rise in accidents.

Products with and without seat belts
[Photo by Korea Consumer Agency]

All 171 accidents involved infants falling from the product. By age group, 91.8% (157 cases) involved infants aged 0 years (~12 months old), the highest proportion.

Classified by injury location, 166 cases (97.1%) involved injuries to the head and face, the most common. Regarding injury symptoms, bruises accounted for 83 cases (48.5%), ranking first. In severe cases, 40 cases (23.4%) showed symptoms of concussion.

The Korea Consumer Agency purchased five diaper changing tables sold online to check for mandatory labeling. One product purchased through a proxy buying service lacked KC certification. Among the other four products distributed domestically, two omitted some mandatory labeling information (such as business address and manufacturing date), thus failing to comply with the "Common Safety Standards for Children's Products."

Only three out of the five products were confirmed to have safety belts designed to prevent infants from falling.

Diaper changing tables are typically sold in the market for about 300,000 to 1,000,000 KRW, and those installed in public restrooms are purchased and installed by the national or local governments or corporations that operate and manage the facilities.

Until recently, there were no safety standards, but criteria were established in 2021. Newly installed diaper changing tables in public restrooms are required to have compression safety belts at least 20 mm wide. However, there is no obligation to replace or retrofit existing diaper changing tables with compression safety belts.

The Consumer Agency urged users to exercise special caution. They advised: ▲Pay close attention to infants who can roll over ▲Always fasten the safety belt on products equipped with one ▲Do not use the diaper changing table for purposes other than diaper changing (such as a bed or cradle) ▲Never leave or abandon infants alone on the diaper changing table.