Expert Recall

Howard Aughinbaugh

For years, small children and tweens alike have enjoyed the comfort and fashion of “hoodies”.

More than a dozen years ago the CPSC issued guidelines about drawstrings in children’s jackets and sweatshirts to prevent strangulation.

In 2009, despite these guidelines, nearly 400,000 sweatshirts or hooded jackets designed for the youth market had to be recalled. These products were manufactured with drawstrings by more than 20 different manufacturers and sold through more than 50 major retail outlets nationwide.

Obviously, harmful sweatshirts have not been removed from the market effectively over the years. On September 9, the CPSC announced stiff penalties, reconfirming the intent of recent CPSIA legislation about the shared obligation by both manufacturers and retailers for getting recalled products off the shelf immediately.

According to The Wall Street Journal, one California manufacturer will pay a civil penalty of $100,000. Retailers Kohl’s Department Stores and Maran, Inc. will pay fines of $425,000 and $85,000 respectively. Kohl’s had been penalized $35,000 in 2008. Given the more stringent regulatory environment, the current fine is now more than twelve times the previous penalty from just one year ago.

The CPSC message is clear – we are watching and you will pay for failure to comply. With fines at this level, smaller retailers can suffer devastating financial losses, while the shareholders of larger companies will not have patience with negligent management.

Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ is the industry leader in recall logistics and regulatory compliance for consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL’s professionals are experts in recall management who can help you streamline the entire product recall process.