Defective Cribs: Products of Weak Federal Durability Standards
In the last three years, more than 1.5 million full-sized cribs have been recalled for a variety of product defects. A majority of them have been recalled because of failures of the hardware or of the wooden slats and spindles, according to this Consumer Reports article. These are serious product defects, which can result in strangulation, entrapment and fall hazards. These defects reportedly contribute to more than 11,000 serious crib and mattress-related injuries every year and about 32 deaths each year in children under 5 years of age.
Cribs account for more deaths than any other children’s products and about 25 percent of crib-related deaths were a direct result of broken or missing components. The article says that the problem here may be with the safety standards. While ASTM International, a standard-setting organization, requires durability testing for crib mattress supports and side rails, there is no such mandate for spindles, slats or drop-side hardware that can wear out and fail as a result of repeated use.
We’ve seen recall after recall in the last year. It has resulted in heartbreak for parents who have lost their children, and in some cases babies barely a few weeks old. Simplicity recalled more than 1 million cribs for drop-side failures. Babies ‘R’ Us recalled 320,000 Jardine cribs for defective slats and spindles that broke apart. Both these brands met the current ASTM standards, but were still defective children products.
This is unacceptable. In fact, ASTM’s standards are so outdated that Toys ‘R’ Us has established its own crib durability standards. It is high time that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) formulates a new, stronger and more comprehensive crib durability standard that will raise the bar for all manufacturers and importers. CPSC must make it a high priority to put these standards in place so that we don’t lose any more infants and toddlers to defective cribs.
