The August 2009 Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC’s) recall list notes a number of products posing strangulation hazards. It also describes a number of items that can cause fires, falls and lacerations.
These monthly government lists alert the public to potentially hazardous products they may already own or plan to buy. Our law firm recommends that you regularly review these lists before ever making a major purchase or buying anything for a child.

Part One of our review of the August 2009 recall list looked mainly at products posing strangulation hazards. It also described a potentially dangerous bed for infants. (To read or review Part One, please visit: http://www.injury-prevention-blog.com/2009/12/august-2009-product-recalls-and-related-news-part-1/ )

Part Two of our August 2009 review looks at many other items, including those posing laceration, burn and fall risks. This second article also notes the imposition of civil penalties against several companies and other general CPSC news.

(Readers interested in reviewing the complete August 2009 CPSC list can visit the following link: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerelaug09.html )

Products That Pose Fall Hazards

• Target of Minneapolis, Minnesota has agreed to voluntarily recall about 43,000 Circo Booster Seats. When this product’s restraint buckle suddenly comes undone, a child can fall and suffer injuries.
• Dorel Juvenile Group USA of Columbus, Indiana, has agreed to recall close to 31,500 Safety First SmartLight Stair Gates. The hinges on these gates can break, putting children at risk of falling in some situations. (Approximately 100,000 of these items were already recalled in February 2009.)
• Baby Jogger LLC, of Richmond, Virginia, is voluntarily recalling close to 41,000 Baby Jogger City Mini Strollers. When this product’s restraint buckle suddenly comes undone, some children may fall out of the strollers.
• Consumers who use Pensi Ceiling Fans marketed by The Modern Fan Co. Inc., of Ashland, Oregon, can be injured when certain fan parts malfunction. Once these parts stop working, they can cause the fans to fall from ceilings and injure consumers. About 1,300 of these fans are being voluntarily recalled.
• Two bicycle models (120 Cannibal Bicycles sold by Nirve Sports Ltd., of Huntington Beach, California and 1,500 2007/2008 Felt F1X Cyclocross Bicycles sold by Felt Bicycles of Irving, California) are being voluntarily recalled. Faulty parts on each bike pose fall hazards to riders.
• Nautilus Inc. of Vancouver, Washington, has agreed to recall about 400 Nautilus F3 Chin Dip Stationary Exercise Units. Riders are likely to fall when the footpads break on these units.

Products Posing Fire and Burn Risks to Consumers

• About 9,800 Black & Decker® Thermal Coffeemakers, marketed by Applica Consumer Products, Inc., of Miramar, Florida, are being voluntarily recalled. When these items overheat, they can burn consumers.
• Griffin International Cos., Inc., of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has agreed to recall about 220,000 lone Essentials and React Wii™ 4-Dock Battery Recharge Stations. When these battery packs overheat, consumers can face fire and burn risks.

Products That Can Cause Laceration and Puncture Wounds

• Weight Watchers International of New York, New York, is voluntarily recalling about 420,000 Hungry Figures and Hungry Magnets. Consumers have found sewing needles in these figures’ stuffing that can pose puncture wound hazards.
• Black & Decker Inc., of Towson, Maryland, has agreed to recall about 200,000 Black & Decker GH100 Grasshog XP String Trimmer/Edgers. When parts of these products become loose during usage, they can become “airborne projectiles,” putting their users and bystanders at risk of serious cuts or lacerations. If these machines overheat, they can also burn their users.

General CPSC News

I. Imposition of Penalties

Ross Stores Inc., of Pleasanton, California, has agreed to pay $500,000 in civil penalties for failing to report a hazardous feature in some of its children’s outerwear. Wagner Spray Tech and Techtronic Industries have agreed to pay $800,000 for failing to timely tell the CPSC that their cordless power drill battery chargers can overheat, causing significant property damage.

II. Enforcement of New CPSIA Requirements for Children’s Products

The Consumer Product Safety Commission began enforcing the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requirements for children’s products on August 14, 2009. The CPSC is currently busy explaining these new requirements to all manufacturers, both domestic and overseas. Importers and distributors of children’s products are also being educated about these more stringent requirements designed to protect American children from product defects.

III. CPSC’s New “Resale Round-up” Campaign

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has now launched an aggressive campaign to prevent recalled products from being sold over the Internet or in Resale stores. Such sales violate federal law and unnecessarily threaten consumer safety.

We hope the warnings in our two-part review of the August 2009 CPSC product recall list will help you avoid using or purchasing a number of potentially dangerous products. Should you or a family member ever be harmed by a product named in one of these lists, our law firm stands ready to evaluate your claim and help you pursue every legal remedy and full compensation for your injuries.