April 2020 Consumer Product Recalls Analysis
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Recalls Analysis
There were 24 recall notices issued in April 2020 for consumer products, compared to a total of 26 recall notices in March of 2020. About 17% of the recalls (four notices) were carried out by the CPSC in conjunction with Health Canada.
Poisoning accounted for 7 out of 24 (29%) of recall notices, creating a noticeable trend of injury hazard. A total of 6 of the 7 recalls relating to the hazard of poison resulted from the lack of child-resistant packaging required for essential oils. There were 4 recall notices for fire hazards and 3 recalls for burn hazards. There was also one recall notice each for children’s products and toys.
Highlighted below are some of the recalls relevant for the hardlines and softlines industries:
| April 2020 – Consumer Product Safety Commission | |
| Product | Reason/Hazard(s) |
| Essential oil | The packaging of the product is not child resistant, posing a risk of poisoning if the contents are swallowed by young children |
| Children's products– children's neck pillows | Paint on the zippers and zipper pulls contains levels of lead that exceed the federal lead paint ban; lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects |
| Furniture – dressers | The recalled dressers are unstable if not anchored to the wall, posing tip-over and entrapment hazards that may result in death or serious injuries to children |
| Toys – wooden instrument | The screws used to attach the spinning flowers to the sides of the toy can become loose and fall off, posing a choking hazard for young children |
Read more: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls
Health Canada Recalls Analysis
There were 15 recall notices issued by Health Canada in April 2020 for consumer products compared to 17 notices in March 2020.
There were 3 recalls for lack of child-resistant packaging in chemical products, 2 electrical product recalls for shock hazards and 1 toy recall for choking hazards. There was also one recall each for children’s sleepwear failing to meet flammability standards, children’s blankets and liners due to presence of lead on the label, and a furniture product for posing a fall hazard due to the base separating from the seat. Highlighted below are some of the recalls:
| April 2020 – Health Canada | |
| Product | Reason/Hazard(s) |
| Children’s apparel – sleepwear | Failure to meet the flammability requirements for children's sleepwear, posing a risk to children |
| Toys – activity toy | The screws in the toy may be loose and fall off causing a choking hazard |
| Furniture – bar stool | Seat can separate from the base while in use, posing a fall and injury hazard |
| Children’s products – blankets and wool seat liners | Small label on product contained lead in excess of allowable limits |
Read more: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/index-eng.php?cat=4
EU RAPEX Recall Analysis
In April 2020, there were 105 relevant product recall alerts issued through the EU’s Rapid Alert System (RAPEX). Toys (45%) accounted for the majority of the recalls, followed by clothing and fashion accessories (36%), decorative items (7%), protective equipment (6%), childcare articles (4%) and kitchen equipment (2%). We’ve highlighted the recalled product categories and hazards below.
| April 2020 – EU RAPEX | |
| Product Categories | Reason/Hazard(s) |
| Childcare Articles | There were 4 recalls in April due to risk of injury: one recall for a safety gate and 3 recalls for non-compliant baby walkers |
| Clothing and Fashion Accessories | The were 12 recalls for drawstrings and embellishments that do not meet the requirements of EN 14682 and pose an entrapment hazard; one of these recalls was due to embellishments on infant garments which may become detached and cause a choking hazard There were 25 chemical-related recalls due to non-compliance with the REACH requirements, including:
|
| Decorative Items | The recalls were for products that do not meet food imitation requirements and pose a potential choking hazard to a child |
| Kitchen Equipment | There were 2 recalls for equipment that did not meet the REACH requirement for lead content |
| Protective Equipment | All 6 of the recalls on protective equipment were for filtering face masks that do not comply with the requirements of the PPE Regulation |
| Toys | There were a total 47 recalls on toys products in April; 27 of the recalls were due to small components that present choking hazards The majority of the toys recalled for chemical failures were due to phthalate content in toy items (4 recalls) or for boron content in ‘slime’ type toys (6 recalls); 3 recalls were for accessible batteries that pose both a choking and chemical hazard; and there were also recalls for nickel release and for EN-71-3 non compliance |
