April 2019 Consumer Product Recalls Analysis

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Recalls Analysis

In April 2019, there were 27 recall notices issued for consumer products by the CPSC. About quarter of the recalls, totaling eight recalls, were carried out by the CPSC in conjunction with Health Canada.

Appliances, clothing, electronics and sports & fitness each had 11% of the recall notices. We’ve highlighted some of the recalls relevant for softlines and hardlines industries below.

April 2019 – CPSC
Product	Reason/Hazard(s)
Bedding – Bed Canopy	The lights in the battery-powered bed canopy can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard
Durable Nursery Products –Rocking Sleepers	There were 2 significant recalls for this product category due to fatality data
Household Item – Shag Rugs	The rug’s shag cover fails to meet the federal flammability standard for carpets and rugs, posing a fire hazard
Furniture – Canopy Bed	The bed’s horizontal canopy rails can detach and fall, posing an injury hazard
Toys – Wooden Train Carts	The steam dome on the toy train’s engine car can come loose, posing a choking hazard
Toys – Wooden Vehicles	The wheels on the vehicles can detach, posing a choking hazard to children
Clothing – Children’s Loungewear	The children’s loungewear sets fail to meet the federal flammability standard for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injuries to children
Clothing – Children’s Bathrobes	The children’s hooded bathrobes fail to meet the flammability standard for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injuries to children
Clothing – Jackets	The jacket’s snaps can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children

Read more: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls

Health Canada Recalls Analysis

In April 2019, there were 32 recall notices issued for consumer products by Health Canada, which was almost twice the number of recall notices issued for consumer products in March 2019 (19 recall notices).

There continued to be recalls for children’s sleepwear for not meeting the sleepwear flammability regulations. This month there were six recalls, following five recalls for March 2019. As noted in our previous analysis, many recalls most likely were result of the manufacturer misclassifying the articles either as tight-fitting children’s sleepwear or bedding products. We’ve highlighted some of the recalls relevant for softlines and hardlines industries below.

April 2019 – Health Canada
Product	Reason/Hazard(s)
Jewelry – Necklace and Charm Chains	There were three recalls for jewelry items for exceeding the lead content limits
Household Item – Light up Bed Canopy	The lights in the battery-powered bed canopy can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard
Household Item – Mugs	There were two recalls of mugs, one for fire hazard when mug is microwaved and second one as mugs may crack and break posing burn hazard
Clothing – Children’s Sleepwear	There were two recalls for sleepwear as they did not meet the flammability requirements for children's sleepwear under Canadian law
Clothing – Children’s Bathrobes	There were two recalls for children’s bathrobes for not meeting the flammability requirements for children's sleepwear under Canadian law
Clothing – Playsuit	This one-piece sleeper with a fold-over mitten and slipper design at the hands and feet did not meet the flammability requirements for children's sleepwear under Canadian law
Clothing – Sleep Suit Bag	Sleep Suit Bags that converts from a baby or toddler Sleeping Bag to a Sleep Suit with legs using the zippers did not meet the flammability requirements for children's sleepwear under Canadian law

EU RAPEX Recall Analysis

In April 2019, there were 70 relevant product recall alerts issued through the EU’s Rapid Alert System (RAPEX). Toys accounted for the overwhelming majority of product recalls with 47, followed by clothing & accessories with 11 recalls, childcare articles with 9 recalls, kitchen equipment with 2 recalls and hobby and sports equipment accounting for 1 recall. We’ve highlighted the recalled product categories and hazards below.

April 2019 – EU RAPEX
Product Categories	Reason/Hazard(s)
Childcare Articles	There were several recalls for baby carriers and for non-compliant child car seats
Clothing and Fashion Accessories	The majority of recalls were for drawstrings that do not comply with EN 14682, as well as chemical recalls for failures in restricted azo dyes and chromium VI
Hobby and Sports Equipment	The single item recalled was for potential failure during use and it did not meet requirements of the PPE Directive
Kitchen Equipment	The items recalled included a pressure cooker that did not meet the requirements of the Regulation and a BBQ that may present a risk of burns as the grill pit is insufficiently deep and burning parts of charcoal can easily fall out
Toys	There were many recalls this month for battery operated toys where the solder on the battery contacts was found to have excessive lead content and also cadmium in some cases, considered to be an environmental hazard. The other chemical failures were mainly been due to phthalate content in toy items and also boron content in ‘slime’ type toys. There were also recalls due to small parts choking hazards.