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Wooden and metal bunk beds

CPSC Recall #97-193 - September 23, 1997

Recall Summary

Recall Number97-193
Recall DateSeptember 23, 1997
Remedy TypeDispose, No Remedy Available
Units AffectedAbout 16,500

Product

Wooden and metal bunk beds

Description

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), five bunk bed manufacturers and importers are voluntarily recalling about 16,500 wooden and metal bunk beds. The bunk beds have openings on the top bunk that present a potential entrapment hazard to young children. The spaces can be large enough for a child's body to pass through, but small enough to entrap the child's head.Since November 1994, CPSC and 36 manufacturers and importers have announced recalls of more than 514,500 wooden and metal bunk beds with similar entrapment hazards. In response to this action, the manufacturers and importers participating in this recall also have identified wooden and metal bunk beds with similar entrapment hazards.Since 1990, CPSC has received reports of 35 children who died from becoming caught in the top of wooden bunk beds. Thirty-four of those children were 3 years old or younger. In addition, CPSC has received reports of five children who died from becoming caught in the top of metal bunk beds. All five children were 2 years old or younger. A recent death occurred on April 24, 1997. A 3-year-old girl died from becoming caught in a wooden bunk bed manufactured by Heartland Furniture. CPSC is not aware of any additional deaths related to the other manufacturers and importers participating in this recall.The ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) voluntary standard for bunk beds requires that, in addition to having guardrails on both sides of the top bunk, all spaces between the guardrail and bed frame, and in the head and foot boards on the top bunk, should be less than 3.5 inches. Bunk beds currently made or imported by the companies listed below now meet the spacing requirement of the voluntary standard. The companies also are providing permanent labels or placing permanent labels on their bunk beds to warn that children under the age of 6 should be prohibited from the upper bunk. CPSC and the manufacturers and importers continue to urge parents and caregivers not to put children under the age of 6 on the top bunk.The manufacturers and importers listed below are participating in this recall to improve the safety of these beds and to meet the requirements of the voluntary standard. Consumers should stop using the recalled beds immediately and call the company or contact the retailer for a replacement guardrail, retrofit kit or instructions to help eliminate the potential entrapment hazard. If this cannot be done (for example, firm out of business) then consumers should discard or destroy the product. If consumers are not sure of the bunk bed manufacturer or retailer or if they have questions about this recall, they should call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772. CompanyModel(s)DistributedLocationsHeartland Furn. Mfg.Oklahoma City, OKOut of Business200, 204 , 220, 264,240, 241, 247, 260, 261,265, 270, 3015, 3046, 4098Wooden Bunk BedsNov. 1995-May 1997TX, OKTemple Pine FurnitureTemple, GA(770) 562-9663124Wooden Bunk Beds1994-1997GA, TNRosalco Inc.Jeffersonville, INOut of Business3-in-13246, 3276, 3286Metal Bunk Beds1993-1997NationwideSpringhill WoodcraftersGreensburg, PA(724) 834-303792, 1013Wooden Bunk Beds1991-1997PA, OH, MDKidron WoodcraftApple Creek, OHContact Retailer215Wooden Bunk Beds1992-1997IL, OH

Hazard

The spaces can be large enough for a child's body to pass through, but small enough to entrap the child's head.

Incidents & Injuries

Since 1990, CPSC has received reports of 35 children who died from becoming caught in the top of wooden bunk beds. Thirty-four of those children were 3 years old or younger. In addition, CPSC has received reports of five children who died from becoming caught in the top of metal bunk beds. All five children were 2 years old or younger. A recent death occurred on April 24, 1997. A 3-year-old girl died from becoming caught in a wooden bunk bed manufactured by Heartland Furniture. CPSC is not aware of any additional deaths related to the other manufacturers and importers participating in this recall.

Remedy Instructions

Firm no longer in business. Recall remedy no longer available. Discard the product. Do not donate or resell.

What Should You Do?

Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a Dispose, No Remedy Available at no charge. If you experienced an injury, report it at SaferProducts.gov.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Follow the consumer action instructions in the recall notice above. Most recalls require you to stop using the product and contact the manufacturer directly, either by calling the toll-free number listed in the official CPSC notice or by visiting the manufacturer's website. You generally do not need a receipt or original packaging to claim a remedy. The manufacturer is legally required to provide the remedy (Dispose, No Remedy Available) at no cost to you.

Yes. If you were injured by a defective consumer product, whether recalled or not, you may have grounds for a product liability claim against the manufacturer and potentially the retailer. A recall notice can serve as evidence that the manufacturer was aware of the defect. Injuries that may support a claim include burns, lacerations, fractures, electric shock, choking incidents, and chemical exposure. Most product liability attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless you win. Consult an attorney promptly, as statutes of limitation vary by state.

In most cases, no. CPSC-coordinated recall remedies are designed to be accessible without proof of purchase. Manufacturers typically ask consumers to self-certify ownership and may ask for photos of the product or its serial number. Some manufacturers request that you mail in a portion of the product (such as a cut cord or removed component) as proof of disposal. Check the specific remedy instructions for this recall for exact requirements. If you registered your product at the time of purchase, the process is usually even simpler.

If the original manufacturer has gone out of business, the recall remedy may no longer be available through them. In this case, contact CPSC directly at 1-800-638-2772 or cpsc.gov for guidance. If the brand was acquired by another company, the acquiring company may have assumed recall obligations. In some cases where a remedy is unavailable, CPSC advises consumers to safely dispose of the product. If you were injured by the product of a defunct company, consult a product liability attorney, parent companies, distributors, and retailers may still bear liability in some circumstances.

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