U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Recall Analysis
A total of 76 consumer products recall notices were issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from April – June 2023. Notably, 28 recalls from Health Canada were done jointly with the CPSC.
Sports and Recreation accounted for 7 recall notices and All-terrain vehicles accounted for 8 recalls. Appliances accounted for 10 notices, spanning across various hazard categories such as fire and/or burn, electric shock, laceration and poisoning. Toys accounted for 5 recall notices pertaining to choking, laceration and puncture. Furniture accounted for 7 recall notices, issued for various hazards such as injury, crash, impact and/or fall, tipover, fire and/or burn.
There were 9 notices for children’s products for fire and/or burn, injury, crash and/or fall, drowning, poisoning, and choking. There were 4 recalls in the category of electrical/electronics, posing the risk of fire and/or burn and serious injury and death.
Notably, there was 1 recall notice issued for candles due to the risk of laceration as well as fire and/or burn. There was 1 recall notice issued for doorglass inserts, posing a risk of injury, crash and/or fall.
Highlighted below are some of the recalls relevant to Softlines and Hardlines products:
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Q2 2023 – CPSC
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Product
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Reason(s)
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Children’s Clothing (including Sleepwear)
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- The recalled children’s pajamas, bathrobes and nightdresses fail to meet the federal flammability standards for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injuries to children.
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Children’s Product
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- The rear wheel can loosen or fall off the children’s scooter, posing a fall hazard to children.
- The baby monitor’s battery can malfunction, overheat and burst, posing a fire hazard.
- The bath seats fail to meet the federal safety standard for infant bath seats, including requirements for stability and leg openings, and can tip over while in use, posing a drowning hazard to babies.
- The brake support for the rear brake of the inline skates can fracture or separate, which can reduce user stability, increasing the risk of a fall.
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Jewelry
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- The necklaces have high levels of cadmium. Cadmium is toxic if ingested by children and can cause adverse health effects.
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Durable Nursery Product
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- The inclined sleeper is a banned hazardous product under the Safe Sleep for Babies Act since the product was marketed for infant sleep and has an incline angle greater than 10 degrees. Infant fatalities have occurred in inclined sleepers after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances.
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Toys
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- A small metal rivet within a wooden play piece can come loose and detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.
- The eyes on the toy can detach, posing a small part choking hazard to children.
- When using the recalled bath toys, particularly in a bathtub or wading pool, a child can slip and fall or sit onto the hard plastic top fin of the shark, posing risks of impalement, lacerations and punctures.
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Health Canada Recalls Analysis
Health Canada reported a total of 62 consumer product recall notices issued in Q2 (April - June 2023).
An analysis of the product categories shows 5 recalls in the category of Sports and Recreation, for fall and/or injury as well as drowning. Toys had 2 recall notices, due to risk of laceration. The category of Kitchen and Dining had 1 recall, for posing risk of fire and/or burn. The category of children’s sleepwear had 1 recall notice issued for the risk of fire and/or burn.
Based on hazard categorization, there were 11 recall notices for fire or burn, 12 recall notices for fall and/or injury, 1 recall notices for choking, 1 recall notice for the risk of drowning and 1 recall notices due to microbial contamination. There were 8 recalls in the category of Durable Nursery Products, for risk of entrapment and fall and/or injury.
Highlighted below are some recalls relevant to Hardlines and Softlines products:
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Q2 2023 – Health Canada
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Product
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Reason(s)
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Childcare Article
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- The teethers and pacifier clips can break and release silicone and wooden beads, posing a choking hazard for babies and young children.
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Toys
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- The fin on the shark consists of a hard plastic and may cause laceration if a child falls on the toy.
- The whiteboard attached to the boxes can become detached exposing sharp edges, posing a laceration hazard.
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Window Accessories
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- The recalled blinds do not meet the Corded Window Coverings Regulations and pose a strangulation hazard. Young children may pull looped cords around their neck, or become entangled in the cords, causing a strangulation hazard. Health Canada recommends cordless window coverings.
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Durable Nursery Products
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- Use of these car seats in a motor vehicle could increase the risk of injury in the event of a collision.
- Cribs fail to meet the testing for structural integrity as the mattress support broke. Additionally, the crib slats can break. These issues present entrapment and injury hazards to children.
- The pet gate opening poses an injury hazard to young children.
- The space between the bars may be too wide and if so, a child could get stuck between them. Further, the crib bars can break, posing a risk of entrapment and injury to children.
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Art & Crafts
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- The recalled adhesives and resins do not meet the labelling requirements of the Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations. The lack of appropriate hazard labelling information could result in unintentional exposure to the product and lead to serious illness, injury or death.
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For questions, please contact Harini Ramaswamy (harini.ramaswamy@intertek.com).