Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Following on the heels of an announcement this week recalling nearly 1 million cribs manufactured by Delta Enterprise Corp., the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports its Early Warning System, created in Fall 2007, is working to warn consumers of concerns with the durability of cribs. The agency says since the Early Warning Sytem was implemented, it has conducted five crib recalls where “hardware was broken, missing or otherwise failed to function.”

The recent Delta recall came after an 8-month-old baby died as a result of suffocation when the absence of safety pegs caused the drop side of the crib to disengage and trap the baby.

While the Early Warning System was not able to save that child, the CPSC says the system has prevented many other deaths and injuries by brining safety concerns to the attention of the public and the manufacturers in a more timely manner.

However, according to the CPSC release, the agency believes crib standards can be strengthened even more, and is recommending new rules to explore possible mandatory performance requirements for cribs.

If approved, the new Advanced Notice of Proposed (ANPR) rulemaking would look into safety issues including hardware systems, assembly and instructional problems, and wood quality/strength.

In the meantime, the CPSC offers the following safety tips for all cribs:

• Parents should not use any crib with broken, loose or missing parts.
• Hardware should be inspected periodically for any necessary adjustments to keep the crib sturdy.
• When using a drop-side crib, caregivers should check to make sure the moving parts operate smoothly and are on track.
• Check sides of crib for disengagement that could result in a gap and entrapment.
• Do not try to repair a crib with tape, wire or rope. Use only manufacturer-approved equipment.
• Do not prop a broken crib against a wall to try to reinforce sturdiness.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 am and is filed under product liability, recalled products, safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.