When you are choosing clothing for your child, be aware that fashion and safety are sometimes at odds. Ask anyone who has tried to run in stiletto heels. Jackets, sweatshirts and pants should not have drawstrings at the neck or waistline. This is a hidden hazard that can be fatal. CPSC is cracking down quite hard on this clothing no-no, in an attempt to decrease the number of injuries and deaths caused by drawstrings in youth clothing. The latest slap on the hand was delivered to Ms. Bubbles, Inc., a Los Angeles-based clothing manufacturer. Not only did the company have to recall over 55,000 jackets in 2009, but they now are fined for not reporting the issue to CPSC earlier.
CPSC announced that Ms. Bubbles, Inc. agreed to pay $40,000 as a civil penalty to settle CPSC claims that the firm “knowingly failed to report the strangulation hazard on a girls’ denim jacket sold through T.J. Maxx, J.C. Penney, and Forman Mills stores across the US from August 2006 through December 2007.
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| Photo: CPSC |
The jacket hood had a drawstring that was in violation of CPSC drawstring guidelines for clothing sized 2T-16. Drawstrings in the hoods and waistbands of children and youth jackets and sweatshirts have been blamed for the strangulation death of over 20 children since 1985 when they became tangled in playground equipment, cribs or doors.
United States federal law requires manufacturers, distributors and retailers or report, within 24 hours, products that contain a significant product hazard, or knowingly violates an established CPSC safety regulation. Ms. Bubbles, Inc. denies that they knowingly violated the law.
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