|
U.S. PIRG Consumer Blog
« Data breach stories featured in today's WSJ |
Main
| Video Professor sues anonymous griping posters, demands their identities »
September 22, 2007
Crib recall shows bigger weaknesses than money at CPSC
Pam Gilbert, a former U.S. PIRG consumer advocate and longtime public interest attorney who served as CPSC executive director under Chair Ann Brown in the Clinton administration, is among those with sharp critiques of the agency in Annys Shin's story in today's Washington Post about the recall (CPSC release) of one million Simplicity cribs (made in China) following three known infant deaths, "seven infant entrapments and 55 incidents in these cribs."
The story is titled Infant Deaths Lead To Big Crib Recall with the subtitle Actions of CPSC Face New Criticism. The toy recalls have prompted calls for an increase in the agency's funding, which has been cut in recent years, but Pamela Gilbert, a former CPSC executive director, said yesterday's recall reflects problems beyond resource constraints. "When a baby dies, there should be a more thorough review and more thorough fix," she said. "They have enough resources to investigate the design of a crib and investigate the circumstances of a few deaths." Under the terms of this "recall," consumers must themselves determine whether their crib has newer or older hardware and whether it is installed correctly or not, and request a repair kit to make their own repairs. We agree with Pam Gilbert: there should have been a more thorough review and a more thorough fix, especially on products that cost as much as $300 retail and have been associated with three infant deaths, including according to the CPSC, one death in a crib with the newer supposedly safer hardware, but which including a "drop-side" which still could be and was installed upside down. "CPSC is warning parents and caregivers to check all Simplicity cribs to make sure the drop-side is installed right side up."
Posted by Ed Mierzwinski at September 22, 2007 11:00 AM
Post a comment
|
