Have you ever noticed a Baby in Bucket warning label on the bucket wall? The first time I looked at this sign was on a 5-gallon of wheat plastic bucket packaging. I was wondering why a baby warning should be printed on a container packed with dry foods.

Until I am working in a plastic buckets manufacturer now. I finally realized the advantages of reusable, leakproof & robust have resulted in customers keeping the 5-gallon buckets after using up the original products they contained.

Use empty used buckets for irrigation, washing cars, mopping floors, and re-storing other gadgets, and water, food for a wide variety of purposes. A potential danger is often overlooked at home by whom has a newborn baby under 5 years old.

In this article, i will explain why printing a baby in bucket warning label is matters on 5-gallon plastic buckets for your commercial packaging.

(photo: Innopack® made 5 gallon plastic buckets with baby in bucket warning label printed)

Drowning Prevention

“Anywhere is water there is a risk of drowning,” says an American Red Cross Slogans.  Drowning is the major reason caused accidental injury-related death among one to four-year-old children. Drowning in the home where is the leading place of all drownings for children under 1 year of age. It can happen in your private swimming pool in the backyard, and bathtub in the washroom, also a large bucket with water.

You may be asked how come a 5-gal bucket can cause such a fatal accident to the child. First, a heavy-duty 5-gallon plastic bucket has a stable bottom area (26.4 CM) structure for standing on the floor. Pulling down by a 1-4 year old child is extremely difficult.

Secondly, 5 5-gallon plastic bucket has a wider open-head at a diameter of 30.4cm. At this size, can fit the whole upper body of a young child.

Thirdly, the height of a 5-gallon plastic bucket is average at 50cm. The average height of a 3-year-old kid is about 34.5 inches – 40.5 inches which is around 90 cm tall. It is very easy to reach and fall head first down into the plastic buckets.

Fourthly, the material of HDPE or PP that made a plastic bucket, the bucket wall would be very flat and smooth. If a child falls into a 5-gallon plastic bucket, it can be difficult for them to climb out.

That’s the reason why the A Child in Bucket Drown warning label has context showing “Children can fall into bucket and drown. Keep children away from buckets with even a small amount of

liquid.” translated into 2-3 different languages.

(photo: Innopack® automotive injection molding and heat transfer print)

Facts and Truth

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) analyzed at least 67 drowning deaths in buckets during the years 1985-1987. In 17 out of 67 death reports, the bucket size was mentioned. The buckets were usually five-gallon plastic or metal containers.

Because of 67 cases, CPSC determined that most young children were between 8 – 12 months old. These accidents happened when their parents used large 5-gallon buckets for mopping floors or for other household use.

Regulation and Standard

According to the possibility that occurs during babies learning to walk with curiosity, they unconsciously will crawl and pull up to the plastic buckets. This young child’s behavior may lead to dangerous situations when buckets are used around the house by contained liquidation inside.

Hence, the California government has lately passed a law stating that labels depicting a baby falling into a bucket must be placed on both sides of any 4 to 6-gallon container. It can graphically

describe a warning of baby fall into bucket and drown.

The ‘Baby in Bucket’ warning label must be printed on buckets to clearly show parents and caretakers, and educate the potential hazard to all customers who are willing to use plastic bucket packaged goods. The label also complies with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard ES 26-93.

Innopack®’s Duty

Innopack® is a top plastic container maker that cares about safety. They focus on making eco-friendly products and ensuring the safety of their workers. This means customers can trust that their plastic buckets are safe to use.Safety is also important for being socially responsible. We not only care for the earth, More care for the growth of each child.” says Albert Xu. Innopack® CEO.

To Avoid the baby drowning by using 5-gallon plastic buckets, we commit to every family：

  • Kindly remind our customers to add ‘baby in bucket labels’. 
  • Provide a variety of printing solutions. (Heat Transfer Printing/Silkscreen Printing/ In-mould Labeling, etc.)
  • Guarantee the printing quality to deliver safety information.
  • Provide a reliable lid for extra protection (Gamma sealed Lids/tamper evident- tear tab lids).