WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) announced today that it has accepted a $725,000 civil
penalty from Cosco Inc. of Columbus, Ind., to settle cases
involving the failure to report serious safety hazards
presented by the company's toddler beds and guardrails. In
two lawsuits in federal court in Indianapolis, CPSC and the
U.S. Department of Justice charged the juvenile products
manufacturer with failing to report dozens of incidents of
children becoming trapped in the headboards or footboards of
its toddler beds, or in guardrails sold with the beds and
separately. These products have been recalled and
redesigned to correct the safety hazards.
Under the Consumer Product Safety Act, companies are
required to report to CPSC products having a defect that
could create a substantial risk of injury to the public.
Spaces in the headboards and footboards of the Cosco toddler
beds, and spaces created by Cosco guardrails used with the
beds, were large enough for part of a child's body to pass
through but small enough to create a strangulation hazard
for the child.
"We will go to court whenever necessary to enforce laws
that keep our children safe. Companies that make children's
products have a special responsibility to assure product
safety," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown.
Cosco denied that it acted improperly, but has
represented that it will take steps to assure that it meets
its reporting obligations in the future. Chairman Brown said
"we welcome Cosco's commitment to report safety issues to
CPSC."
The settlement, one of the highest in the commission's
23-year history, also resolves allegations that Cosco failed
to report a safety hazard associated with one of its crib
models. The CPSC was investigating a possible case
involving crib slats that could disengage from the
crib side rails. Missing crib slats in any crib present a
serious risk to infants who could strangle in an opening
that is larger than 2 and three-eights inches wide (roughly
the diameter of a soda can) or fall out of the crib. The
crib model involved has been recalled and redesigned to
correct these safety hazards.