The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued the largest civil penalty in its history against Graco Children's Products Inc., one of the largest manufacturers of baby gear in the nation. Graco has agreed to pay a $4 million penalty for failing to inform the CPSC in a timely manner that more than 12 million of its products were hazardous to children.
According to the CPSC, hundreds of incidents involving the company's popular strollers, high chairs, swings, and beds went unreported from 1991 to 2002. Injuries ranged from bruises to fractures to fatal strangulations (six children became trapped at the chest or neck in Graco's infant swing models).
The CPSC and Graco also announced the recall of 1.2 million toddler beds, sold from 1994 to 2002 under the names Cozy Toddler Bed, Glow-in-the-Dark Toddler Bed, and Classic Toddler Bed. Entrapments in the beds' guard rails and footboards resulted in numerous broken arms and legs. Graco's failure to report these safety concerns was one of the major violations leading to the fine.
Consumers of the recalled beds should remove the guard rails (model numbers: 8801, 8801WR, 8821, 8824, 8828, 8833, 30066, 34434, and 11030) and contact [OPENWINDOW "http://www.gracobaby.com/" "Graco"] (800-837-4404) to receive a free retrofit kit.
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