Ikea recall: North America focus, company says recall not necessary elsewhere…CPSC “source” leaks news release:
After deaths of three toddlers, Ikea recalls millions of dressers
June 28, 2016, The Washington Post
The three children, between the ages of 22 months and 2 years, were each victims of fatal accidents taking place in their homes. While Ikea attempted a campaign in 2015 offering free wall anchors, the effort was not successful in stopping the accidents. In addition to the three deaths, Ikea also said it knew of 14 other cases of its Malm dressers tipping over. Now Ikea has announced a traditional recall that offers full refunds or repair kits to the owners of 29 million dressers. The recall has also prompted a plan for design changes, according to Ikea’s U.S. President.
Ikea Singapore not following North America recall of chests and dressers; says its products are safe when anchored to wall
June 29, 2016, The Straits Times
The Swedish furniture giant announced a massive recall of 36 million chests and dressers in the United States and Canada, but an Ikea Singapore spokesman assured the public that its chests of drawers are safe when anchored to the wall. The spokesman says that Ikea Singapore follows a “global European standard (one of two global safety standards that Singapore authorities require furniture retailers to comply to) and hence, we will not be conducting any recalls here as we are in compliance with safety standards.” In addition, Ikea says that it will not conduct a recall in Ireland or the United Kingdom because the products comply with the standards in affect in those locations.
Massive Consumer Product Safety Commission Ikea recall leaked to press by “CPSC source” prior to official agency announcement
June 30, 2016, The National Law Review (Mintz Levin)
A CPSC employee prematurely leaked the recall to a staff reporter at the Philadelphia Enquirer, which the authors of this analysis call “a troubling development.” Additionally, quotes in the newspaper story from consumer advocates and other interested parties indicate the newspaper reporter had the information for a “decent amount of time.” Prior to the publishing of the story. As news reports began to appear in other media sources following its release in the Enquirer, Ikea and the CPSC were put in “an incredibly difficult situation of having to quickly make decisions about the release of the information.” Premature release of such information can result in a heavy volume of phone calls and emails that the company is not adequately staffed to handle.
Commissioners Viewpoints:
Chairman Elliot Kaye: Statement on the Proposal by the Window Covering Manufacturing Association to revise the safety standard for window coverings. The Chairman praises the Association for taking a positive step forward in addressing the hazard of children strangulation by corded window coverings.
Commissioner Marietta Robinson: Furniture is best when it is safe and sturdy. The Commissioner promotes the “Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth Act” or “STURDY Act” (see news reports here and here). The STURDY Act directs the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) to promulgate a mandatory stability standard for “free standing clothing storage units to protect children from tip-over related death or injury”
Laundry pod and non-pod detergent related emergency department visits occurring in children in the USA
June 23, 2016, Injury Prevention
This first of its kind study compares demographic and exposure characteristics and risk among children exposed to pod and non-pod laundry detergents presenting to emergency departments. From 2012-2014, there were an estimated 26,062 non-pod and 9,814 pod laundry detergent related exposures among those 18 years and younger. For pod detergent, children aged 0-5 years had the most injuries. Poisoning (71.3%) was the most common diagnosis for pod detergent, while contact dermatitis (72.2%) was most common for non-pod cases.
CPSC, NFL star team up on new fireworks safety video
June 30, 2016, Health News Digest
CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye unveiled a new public service announcement featuring New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who suffered a severe hand injury on July 4, 2015 from a firework-related incident at his home. The CPSC has new data indicating there were 11 deaths and nearly 12,000 ER-treated injuries from fireworks in 2015.
How U.S. and EU differ in handling Volkswagen diesel scandal
June 29, 2016, Insurance Journal
As part of Volkswagen AG’s settlement of U.S. civil claims stemming from the emissions scandal, the company pledged as much as $10 billion for some 500,000 car owners. The 8.5 million customers in Europe may only get an hour-long visit to the dealer to have their engines repaired with a tube that regulates air flow or a software update. The disparities relate back to different legal and regulatory structures in each region.
Brazil moves closer to national chemical inventory
June 30, 2016, The National Law Review (Bergeson & Campbell)
The Brazilian Ministry of Environment (MME) missed a December 31, 2015 deadline for introducing legislation to develop a national chemical inventory. However, in a June 23, 2016 chemical industry forum, significant progress was announced towards introducing the expected legislation by end of year. Negotiations between the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association and the government grew contentious when requests by the government for data from domestic manufacturers were challenged by the association as favoring foreign producers that were not required to release similar data on their products.
Health Canada bans sales, import, advertisements of drop-side cribs
June 30, 2016, CBS
The ban will take place December 29, and parallels a similar action that has already taken place in the United States. However, Health Canada notes the cribs may still be found in new and second-hand stores and garage sales. The new rules also introduce new requirements and test methods for accessories and stands that are used with cribs, cradles, and bassinets.
