KristiB
09-21-2007, 05:14 PM
1 million Chinese-made cribs recalled following three deaths
By PAUL WENSKE
The Kansas City Star
A major children’s furniture company today voluntarily recalled 1 million Chinese-made cribs after fears that design flaws are at fault for the suffocation deaths of three infants.
The recall — which children’s safety experts say is the largest single recall of infant cribs — was announced jointly by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Reading, Pa.-based Simplicity for Children Inc., which makes cribs under its own name and the Graco brands.
“This is a red flag we hope focuses the same attention on crib safety that has been given recently to lead in children’s toys,” said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids In Danger, which tracks crib recalls. She said more children die in cribs than from any other nursery product.
A flurry of recalls of Chinese-made toys raised concerns about lead in toys. Mattel recently recalled nearly 21 million toys, many tainted with lead. But Mattel officials also today apologized to China and said the majority of its toy problems resulted more from the company’s own design flaws.
In today’s crib recall, consumer safety officials said design flaws and hardware failures could cause a drop-side to detach, creating a dangerous gap that can entrap and suffocate infants.
Two infants, a 9-month-old and a 6-month-old, died after the drop-side on an older model was installed upside down. The safety commission is still investigating the death of a one-year-old in a Simplicity crib with newer style hardware, also in which the drop-side was installed upside down.
The federal safety commission said it is further aware of seven infant entrapments and 55 other crib-related incidents.
“Simplicity strives to make safe products; that is our number one priority,” company President Ken Waldman said in a statement. “That’s why we worked with the CPSC to take this action.” The company offered no other details.
Consumer experts downplayed the China connection, saying the crib recall appeared to result more from poor design than from manufacturing errors. They said design flaws and hard-to-understand instructions made it possible for parents to unintentionally install the drop-side upside down.
“This company has a history of these problems,” said Don May, a safety expert with Consumers Union. He noted Simplicity had recalled 40,000 Nursery-in-a-Box cribs this past June.
In that case, incorrect assembly instructions could lead parents to improperly attach the crib’s drop side, creating a danger it would entrap an infant. Metal locking pins could also dislodge and pose choking hazards.
In December 2005, the company recalled 104,000 Aspen 3 in 1 cribs under the Graco brand because screws on the wooden mattress supports can come loose and cause a portion of the mattress to fall.
In February 2006, the federal safety commission renewed a search for the same cribs after a child died. There were 14 other reports of mattress supports coming loose.
Cribs subject to the most recent recall were sold in department stores, children’s stores and mass merchandisers nationwide from January 1998 through May 2007.
They include Simplicity models: Aspen 3 in 1, Aspen 4 in 1, Nursery-in-a-Box, Crib N Changer Combo, Chelsea and Pooh 4 in 1. They also include Graco-logo cribs: Aspen 3 in 1, Ultra 3 in 1, Ultra 4 in 1, Ultra 5 in 1, Whitney and the Trio. The cribs have various model numbers.
For specific recall information or to determine whether a crib is installed properly, consumers can go the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site: www.cpsc.gov or to the Simplicity Web site: www.simplicityforchildren.com.
By PAUL WENSKE
The Kansas City Star
A major children’s furniture company today voluntarily recalled 1 million Chinese-made cribs after fears that design flaws are at fault for the suffocation deaths of three infants.
The recall — which children’s safety experts say is the largest single recall of infant cribs — was announced jointly by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Reading, Pa.-based Simplicity for Children Inc., which makes cribs under its own name and the Graco brands.
“This is a red flag we hope focuses the same attention on crib safety that has been given recently to lead in children’s toys,” said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids In Danger, which tracks crib recalls. She said more children die in cribs than from any other nursery product.
A flurry of recalls of Chinese-made toys raised concerns about lead in toys. Mattel recently recalled nearly 21 million toys, many tainted with lead. But Mattel officials also today apologized to China and said the majority of its toy problems resulted more from the company’s own design flaws.
In today’s crib recall, consumer safety officials said design flaws and hardware failures could cause a drop-side to detach, creating a dangerous gap that can entrap and suffocate infants.
Two infants, a 9-month-old and a 6-month-old, died after the drop-side on an older model was installed upside down. The safety commission is still investigating the death of a one-year-old in a Simplicity crib with newer style hardware, also in which the drop-side was installed upside down.
The federal safety commission said it is further aware of seven infant entrapments and 55 other crib-related incidents.
“Simplicity strives to make safe products; that is our number one priority,” company President Ken Waldman said in a statement. “That’s why we worked with the CPSC to take this action.” The company offered no other details.
Consumer experts downplayed the China connection, saying the crib recall appeared to result more from poor design than from manufacturing errors. They said design flaws and hard-to-understand instructions made it possible for parents to unintentionally install the drop-side upside down.
“This company has a history of these problems,” said Don May, a safety expert with Consumers Union. He noted Simplicity had recalled 40,000 Nursery-in-a-Box cribs this past June.
In that case, incorrect assembly instructions could lead parents to improperly attach the crib’s drop side, creating a danger it would entrap an infant. Metal locking pins could also dislodge and pose choking hazards.
In December 2005, the company recalled 104,000 Aspen 3 in 1 cribs under the Graco brand because screws on the wooden mattress supports can come loose and cause a portion of the mattress to fall.
In February 2006, the federal safety commission renewed a search for the same cribs after a child died. There were 14 other reports of mattress supports coming loose.
Cribs subject to the most recent recall were sold in department stores, children’s stores and mass merchandisers nationwide from January 1998 through May 2007.
They include Simplicity models: Aspen 3 in 1, Aspen 4 in 1, Nursery-in-a-Box, Crib N Changer Combo, Chelsea and Pooh 4 in 1. They also include Graco-logo cribs: Aspen 3 in 1, Ultra 3 in 1, Ultra 4 in 1, Ultra 5 in 1, Whitney and the Trio. The cribs have various model numbers.
For specific recall information or to determine whether a crib is installed properly, consumers can go the Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site: www.cpsc.gov or to the Simplicity Web site: www.simplicityforchildren.com.