Shredder Safety: More Than Protecting Your Identity


Fellowes, Inc. Offers New Shredder Safety Features With Powershred DS1

ITASCA, Ill., May 31 / The increase of identity theft crimes has made paper shredders a necessary home appliance. In fact, Americans spent more than $400 million on in-home shredders last year. With the increasing prevalence of shredders in the home, it's important for people to protect more than just their identity.

June is Home Safety Month, making it the perfect time for households with children and pets to consider the safety of all of their home appliances, including paper shredders.

Paper shredders, like many home appliances, need to be operated and stored properly to ensure the safety of the user. This February the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took an important step by issuing a shredder safety alert along with usage tips that helped raise shredder safety awareness. Additional safety initiatives are being implemented by safety organizations and shredder manufacturers such as Fellowes, Inc.

"As more families use office equipment like shredders at home, parents need to keep basic safety precautions in mind," said Meri-K Appy, president of the nonprofit Home Safety Council. "Shredders must be kept away from children and should be unplugged when not in use. Home office products that have built- in safety features can also help families avoid injury, but close supervision of young children is always the first and most important step."

Fellowes, Inc., the leading shredder manufacturer, provides a solution to safety concerns with the Powershred DS1 shredder. The DS1 features a proprietary patent-pending SafeSense(TM) technology that ensures the safety of the user, including children and larger pets, by automatically disabling the shredder when sensing hands or pets are too close to the "throat" or paper entry. An electronic sensor surrounds the shredder's paper entry and shuts down the machine immediately when it comes in contact with the energy field created by humans and larger pets.

"The Powershred DS1 shredder is a great example of the high priority Fellowes has long placed on safety," said Kristen Gehrig, senior marketing manager at Fellowes, Inc. "With this shredder, families can be confident that their personal information is being destroyed without sacrificing the safety of their children or pets."

The Fellowes Powershred DS1, available at Sam's Club and Best Buy nationwide for $99, is the first in a line of Fellowes shredders featuring the innovative SafeSense technology. Fellowes will roll out a full line of shredders with SafeSense technology this fall.

Fellowes has a long history as the category leader in shredder safety, and all Fellowes shredders have an outstanding safety history. Fellowes imposes strict safety requirements that go beyond the voluntary standards currently used by the industry and complies with the more stringent standards followed in Europe. For example, the paper opening on all Fellowes shredders is narrower than the current UL requirements. Additionally, several Fellowes Powershred models feature a patented safety lock for added protection.

In addition to choosing an appropriate shredder, parents should teach their children that a shredder is not a toy. Taking other simple steps, like placing the shredder out of reach of children and reviewing all safety instructions outlined in the owner's manual, also minimize the risk of injury.

About Fellowes

Headquartered in Itasca, Ill., Fellowes, Inc. offers an impressive range of products to equip the workspace, including paper shredders, binders and laminators, desktop accessories and record storage solutions. Fellowes, Inc. owns and operates subsidiaries in Canada, United Kingdom, Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Singapore, Japan, Korea, China and Australia, the company employs more than 1,200 people throughout the world and expects global sales in excess of $700 million this year. For more information, visit www.fellowes.com/ .

For more information contact:
Lauren Sloan
(312)729-4226
lsloan@golinharris.com

Source: Fellowes, Inc.

CONTACT: Lauren Sloan for Fellowes, Inc., +1-312-729-4226, or
lsloan@golinharris.com

Web site: www.fellowes.com/

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