July 2019 Consumer Product Recalls Analysis
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Recalls Analysis
In July 2019, there were 32 recall notices issued for consumer products by the CPSC. About a quarter of the recalls (8 recalls) were carried out by the CPSC in conjunction with Health Canada.
Sports & recreation products accounted for 15% of the recalls, followed by children’s sleepwear, durable nursery products and electronics at 9%. We’ve highlighted some of the recalls relevant for the softlines and hardlines industries below.
| July 2019 – CPSC | |
| Product | Reason/Hazard(s) |
| Clothing – Infant Sock and Wrist Rattle Sets | Rattles sewn inside the socks and wristbands can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children |
| Children’s Sleepwear – Pajama Sets (3 recalls) | The children’s pajama sets fail to meet the flammability standard for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injuries to children |
| Durable Nursery Products – Inclined Infant Sleeper | Infant fatalities have been reported while using other inclined sleep products, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances |
| Durable Nursery Products – Jogging Stroller | The modified thru-bolt on the front wheel can fracture, allowing the wheel to detach from the stroller, posing fall and injury hazards to children in the stroller and adults operating the stroller |
| Durable Nursery Products – Steps Bouncer | The Steps Bouncer can detach from the Steps Chair, posing a fall hazard to the child in the Bouncer |
| Furniture – Desks | The desk’s control box has an electrical issue resulting in reverse polarity, which could pose a shock hazard |
| Toys – Wooden Toy | The wooden wheels can detach and release small parts, posing a choking hazard to young children |
| Toys – Plush toy | The plastic eyes on the toy can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children |
| Children’s Product – Head & Neck Support Accessory | The head support area can be overstuffed and cause the infant’s head to be tilted too far forward, posing a suffocation hazard |
| Bedding – Folding Mattress | The mattresses fail to meet the mandatory federal flammability standard for mattresses, posing a fire hazard |
| Kitchen Accessories – Ceramic Mugs | The mugs can crack or break when used with or exposed to hot liquids, posing burn and laceration hazards |
| Sports/ Fitness – Bikes | The steer tube clamp on the bike can break, posing a fall hazard to children |
Read more: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls
Health Canada Recalls Analysis
In July 2019, there were 20 recall notices issued for consumer products by Health Canada, which was almost same as the number of recall notices issued for consumer products in June 2019 (21 recall notices).
There were five recalls for sporting goods /fitness products, followed by three recalls each for durable nursery products and tools & electrical products. We’ve highlighted some of the recalls relevant for softlines and hardlines industries below.
| July 2019 – Health Canada | |
| Product | Reason/Hazard(s) |
| Clothing – Sun Hats for Babies | The loop fastener may detach posing choking hazard |
| Toys – Plush Toys | The plastic eyes on the toy can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children |
| Childcare Article – Pacifier & Holder Set | Parts of the nipple can detach, posing as a choking hazard |
| Furniture – Sit-Stand Office Workstations | The workstation can malfunction when more than the permitted weight is used, posing an impact injury hazard |
| Durable Nursery Products – Bouncer | Bouncer may not attach properly to the chair despite the locking indicator turning green, which poses a fall and injury hazard to children |
| Durable Nursery Products – Highchairs | 5-point harness on the recalled product can be re-assembled incorrectly. This poses a fall and injury hazard to children |
| Durable Nursery Products – Jogging Stroller | The front wheel of these strollers may detach if improperly secured causing the stroller to flip over posing a possible fall hazard |
Read more: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/index-eng.php?cat=4
EU RAPEX Recall Analysis
In July 2019, there were 86 relevant product recall alerts issued through the EU’s Rapid Alert System (RAPEX), up nearly 25% from 66 recalls in the previous month. Toys accounted for the majority of product recalls with 49, followed by clothing & accessories with 19 recalls, childcare articles with 8 recalls, protective clothing & equipment with 4 recalls and sports & hobby equipment and kitchen equipment with 3 recalls each. We’ve highlighted the recalled product categories and hazards below.
| July 2019 – EU RAPEX | |
| Product Categories | Reason/Hazard(s) |
| Childcare Articles | Recalls were issued for potential injuries due to unsecure straps on child carriers, one recall for a non-compliant child car seat and one recall for the presence of excess PAHs in a hot water bottle |
| Clothing and Fashion Accessories | The majority of recalls were issued for drawstrings that do not meet the requirements of EN 14682, primarily instigated for bikini products with non-compliant ties at the back of the garment. In addition, there were chemical recalls due to excessive chromium VI levels and also non-compliances in jewellery items for cadmium content and nickel release |
| Hobby and Sports Equipment | The failures were due to electrical faults on hoverboards, which may result in burns to the user |
| Kitchen Equipment | The failures were due to non-compliant pressure cookers |
| Protective Clothing & Equipment | Recalls included chemical failures for leather gloves that have a chromium VI level above the legal limit, there was also a failure on a protective vest, which was not considered to be compliant |
| Toys | Recalls this month include 15 recalls due to small components that present choking hazards; 3 recalls for battery operated toys where the solder on the battery contacts was found to have excessive lead content and also cadmium in some cases, presenting an environmental hazard; a noticeable number of recalls on ‘squeezable’ toys that do not comply with Toy Safety Directive’s substances of concern, including N,N-dimethylformamide, cyclohexanone, bis(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)ether) and triethylenediamine; other chemical failures were primarily due to phthalate content in toy items and also boron content in ‘slime’ type toys, as well as a failure due to polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content; and the other recalls were due to flammability hazards and strangulation risks |
