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Consumer Product Safety Commission Sets New Crib Requirements

Crib safety has been a major topic of discussion at the Consumer Product Safety Commission since a massive number of recalls also the past year.  The number of cribs recalled has crossed 9 million cribs over the past 12 months alone. Acting quickly, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted to approve proposed new crib requirements and mandatory standards for full-size and non-full-size cribs.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website, the agency has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking, which includes new standards for full-size cribs that are the same as ASTM F 1169-10, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Full-Size Baby Cribs, with one modification.  The notice of proposed rulemaking also includes new standards for non-full-size cribs that is also the same as ASTM F 406-10 Started Consumer Safety Specification for Non-Full-Size Cribs/play yards, with certain modifications.  According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, it is working to finalize these mandated proposed standards by 2010.

These new crib requirements and standards are meant to prevent the risk of accidents involving suffocation, entrapment, and fall accidents.  In June this year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a massive recall of more than 2 million cribs involving more than seven manufacturers.  The manufacturers include some the most popular manufacturers of children’s products, including Evenflo, Delta Enterprises, Jardine and others.  Most of the recalled cribs included those with drop sides, but Child Craft had between 40,000 and 50,000 of its stationary side cribs also recalled.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is moving towards a complete ban on these cribs, because of the inherent dangers in their design.  Drop side cribs come with a side that can be moved up and down enabling the parent to reach the child easily.  However, the hardware of the crib can malfunction, causing the drop side to become detached from the body of the crib.  This can create a gap between the mattress of the crib and the drop side.  The gap can be sufficient for a child to roll into.  Babies can also fall through the space, sustaining serious injuries.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, between November 2007 and April 2010, 36 children died in crib -related accidents.  Out of these, most fatalities involved grips with hardware malfunction.  To California product liability attorneys, much of the problem seems to lie in the fact that many cribs that are sold in the US are now manufactured overseas with a view to controlling costs and increasing profit margins.  Older drop side cribs came with metal fasteners that were sturdy and reliable, and less likely to break.  However, newer cribs come with plastic fasteners that are much more likely to break off or flex after constant use.

The announcement by the Consumer Product Safety Commission came after Pottery Barn announced a recall of all of its drop side cribs last week.  There are a total of 82,000 of drop side cribs involved in this recall.  According to Pottery Barn Kids, it has received several reports of drop sides malfunctioning or detaching from the crib.  At least seven children were injured when they fell out of the crib.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of crib accidents. Please visit our website at http://www.robertreeveslaw.com/. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us at contact@robertreeveslaw.com.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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