The CPSC and Dorel Asia--they're based in Barbados!--announced the recall of over 600,000 cribs sold at Wal-mart, K-mart, and Sears between January 2005 and December 2009, last month.
The cribs pose a strangulation and suffocation hazard because of faulty dropside hardware and/or weak crib slats. The company--based in sunny Barbados!--knows of at least 31 incidents, including one death and ten injuries, where babies have been trapped between the broken side of the crib and the mattress.
Every time I think that there are no un-recalled cribs left from these bigbox stores, the CPSC finds another half million tucked away somewhere. So check the CPSC's product recall list for details on the model numbers and types--cribs from $100 to $700 are affected.
If you're keeping score at home, Dorel Asia SRL is a division and brand in the company's Home Furnishings product segment, not its Juvenile product segment. Why it's headquartered in Barbados, I can't quite tell. It may be because the Managing Director of Dorel Asia, Bruce Kaufman, lives there. Kaufman was a Montreal manufacturer on the board of Dorel for many years who moved into an executive position in 2002.
The official CPSC recall notice is linked below, but Dorel took the extra step of releasing its own, separate press release titled, "Dorel Asia SRL Clarifies Today's Crib Recall." It appears to have since been withdrawn, so I reproduced it after the jump.
Dorel Asia Recalls To Replace Cribs; Pose Strangulation and Suffocation Hazards [cpsc.gov]
[January 19, 2010]Dorel Asia SRL Clarifies Today's Crib Recall
MONTREAL, Jan. 19, 2010 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Infant death attributed to highly unusual circumstances In cooperation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Dorel Asia is voluntarily recalling several models of cribs to replace slatted panels and drop-side hardware. A total of 635,000 units are involved. Dorel Asia is offering free repair kits to our customers. The recall is motivated by isolated reports of broken crib slats and drop-side hardware. In total, 67 incidents were reported and 10 children were bruised or scratched. Because the safety and satisfaction of Dorel Asia's customers is our top concern, Dorel Asia is offering repair kits, free of charge.Infant death Also referenced in today's press release is an infant death that reportedly occurred in a Dorel Asia crib. Although tragic, it is important for consumers to understand that the circumstances of this fatality were highly unusual.
The CPSC investigator's synopsis of the incident, referring to the six month old infant death, states: "He had fallen out of his crib a month earlier. The crib was known to be broken before that when it was used with an older child. After this incident, they put "duct tape" on the crib to hold it together. Both parents were arrested for "child endangerment with death" and the father had additional drug charges".
The report also indicates the child was put to sleep with a thick afghan in the crib. Dorel Asia's instructions strongly warn against this practice because thick bedding is a known hazard to children.
The recalled cribs meet and exceed all applicable safety standards. Hundreds of thousands of Dorel Asia cribs have been properly assembled and used safely without incident. At Dorel Asia there is nothing more important than a baby's health and safety. It is our goal to provide parents with the safest sleep environment for their baby.
SOURCE: DOREL INDUSTRIES INC.
SOURCE: MAISON BRISON - ENGLISH Media Contacts: U.S.: Julie Vallese, (202) 530-4680; Canada: Rick Leckner, Maison Brison, (514) 731-0000
