Child-Resistant Closures: How Do They Work and Where Can You Use Them?

Great packaging helps make life easier, and in some cases, it can help make life safer too. For hundreds of different types of products, child-resistant closures are an essential part of packaging design, helping protect young children from accidental ingestion or exposure.

Nowadays, most medical and chemical products are required to include safety caps, but more companies than ever are choosing to include them as an extra precaution for their brands. Not sure if child-resistant closures are required for your product? Here we’ll explain how child-resistant caps work, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards behind them, and what kind of products are required to (and benefit from) having them.

An Overview of CPSC Standards
In 1970, the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA) was passed into law, requiring 31 types of potentially hazardous substances, like medication and household cleaners, to include child-resistant packaging. Since then, safety caps have become standard throughout many product categories.

For products that fall under the PPPA, the CPSC requires the following:

• Containers must be manufactured to be extremely challenging for a child under the age of five to open within a “reasonable” amount of time, but still simple enough for an adult to open.
   
• Child-resistant packaging and closures must apply to the immediate packaging surrounding the regulated substance. For example, each individual product in a package containing multiple items must include safety features.

How Do Child-Resistant Closures Work?
There are many different types of child-safe closures, and all require at least two motions to open. One of the most common types is known as “push down and turn” safety caps. These closures include an outer and inner cap, each with toothed edges. If a child tries to twist the cap without pushing down, the outer and inner caps will simply spin without locking together. However, once pressure is applied, the caps lock together and can be pulled off. 

Child-Resistant vs. Child-Proof
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as 100% child-proof packaging. The goal of child-resistant closures is to slow children down long enough until an adult can stop them.

This is why it’s important to take care when designing and marketing your products. Claiming that something is “child-proof” when it’s actually child-resistant may be misleading to consumers, and could pose risks to your brand’s reputation.

Products That Require Child-Resistant Safety Caps
The CPSC requires child-resistant closures for products that fall under the following categories:

Medications: To a child under five, brightly colored liquids and small pills may be appealing, no matter how harmful their contents may actually be. To keep children safe, the PPPA requires safety caps on all prescription medications, with a few exceptions. Many over-the-counter pain relievers and other medicines are also subject to this requirement because of the complications they can cause by accidental ingestion[, especially to a child].

Additionally, nutritional supplements that contain more than 250 mg of elemental iron in a single container must be packaged with child safety caps to prevent severe gastrointestinal complications.  

Household cleaning products: This includes common cleaners like ammonia, bleach, and laundry detergent pods that could cause harm if ingested or exposed to skin.

Poisons: It goes without saying, but insecticides and pesticides must be packaged with care. To help standardize child-safe pesticide packaging, the EPA released its 40 CFR 157.32 certification.

Certain automotive chemicals: To prevent accidental spills and ingestion, antifreeze and other chemical products intended for cleaning or lubrication must be manufactured with child-resistant closures.

Certain cosmetic products: Hydrocarbons commonly found in personal care items like makeup remover and baby oil can cause chemical pneumonia in small children when aspirated. To lower this risk, the CPSC requires child-safe packaging for low-viscosity products containing 10% or more hydrocarbons by weight.

Cannabis and CBD products: Edible cannabis and CBD products often come in “gummy” form, making them appealing to kids. To make it harder for these products to end up in the wrong hands, new laws now require commercially-produced edibles and other related CBD products to include child-resistant packaging. 
 

Other Products Where Safety Caps May Be Beneficial 
While they might not be required, child-resistant closures may also be helpful for the following types of products:

Other personal care items: Even in cosmetic or hygiene products that don’t meet the hydrocarbon threshold, you may consider child-resistant closures to prevent accidental spills and give your consumers extra peace of mind.

Non-iron supplements: Many families take daily vitamins to stay on top of their health. However, certain supplements, especially those in gummy form, may be tempting for young children. Child safety caps limit access, so vitamins stay helpful, not harmful.

Quality-Assured Peace of Mind  
You never want to second-guess your customers’ safety. That’s why we make child-resistant packaging easy at Alltrista. Our AllStock^® Child-Resistant Closures are designed to meet CPSC standards, complete with easy-to-read instructions and customizable color options to match your brand.

We offer 28mm, 33mm, and 38mm sizes, with vented, heat-sealed, foam, and pressure-sensitive liners available. Our child-resistant safety caps are also:

• Ready to mold, with no custom tooling required
• Lightweight for reduced plastic usage
• Designed for faster throughput
• Quality-assured via in-line inspection

Contact us to learn more about our bottle and closure total package bundles.