CPSC Announces Settlement Agreement, Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Drawstrings
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a notice of its provisional acceptance of a settlement agreement and an order containing a civil penalty against Ross Stores, Inc. for failure to report drawstrings in children's outerwear.
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Any interested person may ask CPSC not to accept this agreement or otherwise comment on their contents by filing a written request with the Office of the Secretary by August 27, 2009.
Ross Agrees to Pay $500,000 for Failure to Report Drawstrings
CPSC has entered into a provisionally accepted settlement agreement with Ross, and has issued an order imposing a civil penalty of $500,000 to settle allegations that Ross failed to immediately report its sale of certain boys' and girls' hooded sweatshirts with drawstrings.
(According to the CPSC, in February 1996 it issued drawstring guidelines to help prevent children from strangling or getting entangled on the neck and waist drawstrings in upper outerwear, such as jackets and sweatshirts. In May 2006, CPSC's Office of Compliance announced that children's upper outerwear with drawstrings at the hood or neck would be regarded as defective and a substantial risk of injury to young children.
Federal law requires manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to report to CPSC immediately (within 24 hours) after obtaining information reasonably supporting the conclusion that a product contains a defect which could create a substantial product hazard, presents an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death, or violates any consumer product safety rule or any other rule, regulation, standard, or ban enforced by the CPSC.)
(See ITT's Online Archives or 08/07/09 news, 09080799 4, for previous BP summary.
See ITT's Online Archives or 04/09/09, 08/11/08, and 04/30/08 news, 09040920, 08081140, and 08043025, for BP summaries of previous CPSC allegations on children's drawstrings.)
CPSC contact - Renee Haslett (301) 504-7673
CPSC FR notice (FR Pub 08/12/09) available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-19370.pdf
CPSC press release (dated 08/05/09) available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09297.html