Cpc And Its Effects On Unsafe Children

The holidays are coming up and the time of giving is near. Millions of parents across the country are embarking on the annual migration to department stores, armed with the wish-lists of young ones eagerly waiting at home. Adults partake in this annual ritual seemingly unaware of their potential of becoming a statistic. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 11 children under the age of 12 died due to toy related injuries last year, 11 others in 2013, and 16 more in 2012. Over 170,000 children are hospitalized each year with injuries caused by unsafe toys (CPSC, 2014). The CPSC has many laws and regulations set forth to catch these products before they reach our homes, but sometimes they can slip through. The CPSC defines

All products falling under these guidelines are considered children’s products. Any children’s product that does not comply with all safety standards set forth by the CPSC in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 are considered unsafe children’s products and may be subject to litigation or eventual recall by the CPSC. Typically, the manufacturer or designer of any unsafe product is found to have violated some aspect of product liability law. These aspects can include negligence, strict liability, and breach of warranty among others (Legal Information Institute,

Beginning in 2009, the CPSC began receiving reports of injuries and deaths related to this product. Ninety-two cases were reported, including 5 infant deaths (CPSC, 2013). In December of 2012, the CPSC filed an official complaint against Baby Matters, LLC claiming their product posed a significant possibility of injury or death, the product design was defective, and the instructions and warnings were inadequate according to the laws set forth in the CPSIA in 2008. The fabric covers on the recliners were not attached to the hard body of the product and the harnesses were attached to the covers which allowed for children to move considerably while in the chair (CPSC, 2012). In June of 2013, Baby Matters and the CPSC agreed to a settlement in which Baby Matters agreed to discontinue the product and publicize the voluntary recall to all consumers to the best of their abilities and the Nap Nanny would never be sold again (CPSC, 2013). I found it interesting that even after the 92 injuries and 5 deaths that Baby Matters consistently denied any product defect and refused to stop the sale of Nap Nannies. The company had to be pressured by the CPSC, and eventually the public, to stop