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San Francisco Shirt Works sweatshirts

CPSC Recall #78-022 - April 16, 1978

Recall Summary

Recall Number78-022
Recall DateApril 16, 1978
Remedy TypeRefund
Units AffectedApproximately 22,500
ImporterSan Francisco Shirt Works, Inc.
Manufactured InHong Kong

Product

San Francisco Shirt Works sweatshirts

Description

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Apr. 17) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the SAN FRANCISCO SHIRT WORKS, INC., announced today that the San Francisco Shirt Works is voluntarily recalling and refunding the purchase price on four styles of ladies' sweatshirts because they fail to comply with Federal flammability standard. If exposed to an ignition source such as a cigarette ash, an open flame, or any spark, they could ignite and burn with a rapid and intense flame. (No injuries have been reported to date.) These sweatshirts were sold by department stores and specialty shops throughout the nation as part of the company's 1977 holiday line. Some 22,500 of these ladies' sweatshirts were imported by San Francisco Shirt Works, Inc., from a Hong Kong manufacturer and distributed nationwide to retailers during October and early November 1977. Shirts which appear to be identical but which were delivered to retailers in approximately July of 1977 have passed the flammability test required by the standard. Only those shirts sold to retailers during and after October 1977 fail to comply with the standard. All the ladder's shirts are 100% cotton, fleecy side out, with long sleeves. Sewn-in labels at the back of the neck say "SAN FRANCISCO TEA PARTY" with a cablecar woven in the label. The identifying labels also say "Made in Hong Kong". These sweatshirts were available in winter white, pink, yellow, peach, blue, and chamois. The following styles of "soft to touch" sweatshirts fail to comply with the Federal Standard for Flammability of Clothing Textiles: 2115 - Regular collar, patch on sleeve and pockets of same color, snap fasteners, and pull string tie at waist; 2116 - Pullover, with small center pockets for hands; 2184 - Hooded, with pull string tie on neck and wait-front snaps, one pocket; 2185 - Zippered front, regular collar, two front pockets. Style numbers appeared on "hang tags" at the time of sale and would have been removed before wearing. The company will refund to consumers the purchase price of suspect garments. Persons who believe they have these sweatshirts should write for refund procedures to: San Francisco Shirt Works, Inc. Attn. Nancy Bush 1111 - 17th Street San Francisco, California 94107 Or they may call CPSC's toll-free Hotline (800) 638-2772 for refund instructions. CPSC strongly urges consumers who bought any of the described shirts during and after October 1977 to immediately stop wearing them and start the refund process. CPSC believes that spring weather will increase the burn danger because of camping, barbeques and other outdoor activities and hopes women will take the initiative to return the potentially hazardous sweatshirts. This is the first time the company's products have been the source of such hazards. The company has taken steps to avoid similar safety problems in the future by testing for flammability safety of all fabrics to be used prior to each production order. Additionally, the firm has permanently dropped the suspect fabric from its line of products and will not reorder the same fabrication from the manufacturer. The firm had changed Hong Kong manufacturers for the subject holiday line, and did not know the fabrics obtained from the source had not been tested for flammability compliance, which had been a standard procedure with its previous imports. Their new procedures should eliminate this possibility.

Hazard

If exposed to an ignition source such as a cigarette ash, an open flame, or any spark, the sweatshirts could ignite and burn with a rapid and intense flame. 

Incidents & Injuries

No injuries have been reported to date.

Remedy Instructions

The company will refund to consumers the purchase price of suspect garments. Persons who believe they have these sweatshirts should write for refund procedures to: San Francisco Shirt Works, Inc., Attn. Nancy Bush, 1111 - 17th Street. San Francisco, California 94107.

What Should You Do?

Stop using this product immediately. Contact the manufacturer for a Refund 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 (Refund) at no cost to you.

If the product caused a fire or burn injury, document the incident with photos and preserve the product if it is safe to do so. Report the incident to the CPSC at SaferProducts.gov and to your local fire department. Contact the manufacturer to inform them of the incident, they are required to track and report injuries to CPSC. You may also want to consult a personal injury attorney, as fire and burn injuries caused by defective products can be grounds for a product liability claim against the manufacturer.

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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