Category: Consumer Products

Crib Tents: Another Hazard from the World of Unregulated Child Products

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Reprinted from The Safety Record, V6, I1

VINALHAVEN, ME – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has opened a probe in December 2008 into the strangulation death of a two-year-old who became entangled in the mesh netting of his crib tent.

Noah Thompson of Harvard, Mass., was strangled when his head got stuck between the mattress and mesh covering that was placed over his portable crib. His parents, Marc Thompson and Lisa Rosen, told state police that they had used the netting to prevent their son from climbing
out of the crib. Continue reading →

UL Self-Certification Program Raises Safety Questions

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A fire resulting in the death of a 9-year-old boy allegedly caused by a window air-conditioner led plaintiff’s lawyers to uncover a little-known Underwriters Laboratory (UL) program that allows companies to certify they meet UL standards without UL testing.

The Goldstar brand air conditioner at issue in the case was certified by LG under UL’s self-certification program known as “Total Certification Program” or TCP. LG claimed the air conditioner complied with UL 484, the standard for room air conditions. But plaintiff’s testing found plastic components were excessively flammable and did not meet the standard and that UL did no testing to confirm compliance. Continue reading →