Safety 1st to Pay $175,000 Civil Penalty for Delay in Reporting Defect With Toddler Bed Rails

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 1998
Release #98-137 		Company Phone Number: (800) 366-1282
CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: William J. Moore Jr., (301) 504-7583

Safety 1st to Pay $175,000 Civil Penalty for Delay in Reporting Defect With Toddler Bed Rails

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that Safety 1st of Chestnut Hill, Mass., has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $175,000 to settle allegations that it violated the Consumer Product Safety Act by failing to report in a timely manner a defect with the Safekeeper toddler bed rails, sold with detachable flash lights.

CPSC alleges that Safety 1st failed to report in a timely manner that the model 177 toddler bed rail's support bars can separate from the rail, allowing a child to fall from the bed. Safety 1st says it received 27 reports of injuries associated with these bed rails before it reported to CPSC. About 191,000 of these bed rails were sold between January 1994 and June 1995.

In agreeing to settle this matter, Safety 1st denies that the product was defective. It also denies that it knowingly violated the reporting requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Act because the company did, ultimately, file a report.

Safety 1st recalled the model 177 bed rails on November 16, 1995, and replaced them with the redesigned model 177A. Consumers who still own the model 177 bed rail should call Safety 1st at (800) 366-1282 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday to receive a replacement.