Hill Sportswear Agrees To Pay $100,000 Civil Penalty For Failing To Report Dr
NEWS from CPSCU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public AffairsWashington, DC 20207FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2009
Release #09-340 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
Hill Sportswear Agrees To Pay $100,000 Civil Penalty For Failing To Report Drawstrings In Children抯 Sweatshirts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that Hill Sportswear Inc., of Paramount, Calif. has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $100,000. The penalty settlement (pdf), which has been provisionally accepted by the Commission, resolves CPSC staff allegations that Hill Sportswear knowingly failed to report to CPSC immediately, as required by federal law, that children抯 hooded sweatshirts it manufactured and sold had drawstrings at the neck.
Children抯 upper outerwear with drawstrings, including sweatshirts, poses a strangulation hazard to children which can result in serious injury or death. In November 2008, a 3-year-old boy died in Fresno, Calif. when the drawstring on his Hill Sportswear hooded sweatshirt reportedly became stuck on a playground set strangling him. Hill Sportswear and CPSC announced a recall of the sweatshirts in February 2009.
CPSC issued drawstring guidelines (pdf) in 1996 to help prevent children from strangling or getting entangled on the neck and waist drawstrings in upper outerwear, such as jackets and sweatshirts. In 1997, industry adopted a voluntary standard for drawstrings that incorporated the CPSC guidelines. In May 2006, CPSC抯 Office of Compliance announced (pdf) that children抯 upper outerwear with drawstrings at the hood or neck would be regarded as defective and as presenting a substantial risk of injury to young children.
About 120,000 of these Hill Sportswear sweatshirts were sold at various small retailers in California and Texas from 2003 through December 2008 for approximately $8. Due to the serious nature of this hazard, parents are urged to immediately remove the drawstrings from the sweatshirts or return the garment to either the place of purchase or to Hill Sportswear for a full refund.
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, creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death, or fails to comply with any consumer product safety rule or any other rule, regulation, standard, or ban enforced by CPSC.
In agreeing to the settlement, the firms deny CPSC抯 allegations that they knowingly violated the law.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09129a.jpg http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09129b.jpg---Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
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