New Regulations Fast Approaching After Crib Recall Management
06-22-2011
By Mike Rozembajgier
Over the past four years, over 11 million cribs have been recalled. Manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad have seen their recall management teams put to the test. Now manufacturers, as well as retailers, child care centers and other businesses that offer cribs as a service to consumers, are getting ready to meet new crib safety requirements.
With the deadline for implementing the new federal requirements and standards for cribs sold and used in the U.S. fast approaching, manufacturers both in the U.S. and abroad should be making final adjustments to make sure that their products will meet the new tougher standards. Manufacturers and retailers must also make sure that their recall management process is ready in case the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) finds that they somehow failed to comply with the new regulations.
Drop-side cribs have long been a major industry and consumer concern. They were a leading reason for the implementation of the new regulations. Since 2000, at least 32 cases of infant suffocation have been attributed to drop-side rails. The new rules expressly prohibit them.
Since the approval of the new crib rules, the CPSC has been fielding questions about what they mean for specific industry groups. Last week, the agency posted an updated list of FAQs to its website in an effort to clear up any remaining confusion. The new FAQ addresses several key areas of concern, including how the new regulations will affect child care centers, what manufacturers and retailers need to know, and whether retrofitting older crib models is acceptable.
As detailed in an earlier ExpertINSIGHTS blog post, it will soon be illegal to manufacture, sell, resell, lease, offer or use cribs that do not meet the CPSC’s new standards. The new regulations apply not only to manufacturers and brick-and-mortar retailers, but also to Internet retailers, resale shops, auction sites, hotels, and child care centers.
One question that is often being asked is whether it will be legal to retrofit older cribs to meet the new standards. According to the CPSC, it is unlikely that a crib currently in use can be properly retrofitted and tested to show compliance. Under some circumstances, it may be possible to retrofit unused, noncompliant crib inventory, But in order to comply with the new standards, any retrofitted cribs must pass the tough new safety tests.
The agency suggests that consumers check the CPSC website for companies that have recalled cribs, and recommends that an add-on immobilizer be installed on any cribs that have a drop-side rail. For additional information on the specifics or implementation of the regulations, visit the FAQ section of the CSPC website.
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.
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