| Strangulation Deaths of Children Prompt Recall to Repair of Roll-Up Blinds and Roman Shades by Lewis Hyman Inc. |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: ¼” Oval Roll-up Blinds and Woolrich Roman Shades Units: About 4.2 million roll-up blinds and 600,000 Roman shades Importer: Lewis Hyman Inc., of Carson, Calif. Hazard: Roll-up Blinds: Strangulations can occur if the lifting loops slide off the side of the blind and a child’s neck becomes entangled on the free-standing loop or if a child places his/her neck between the lifting loop and the roll-up blind material. Incidents/Injuries: In November 2007, a 1-year-old boy from Norridgewock, Maine became entangled and strangled in the lift cord loop of a roll-up blind that had fallen into his portable crib. In October 2008, a 13-month-old boy from Conway, Ark. was found with his head between the exposed inner cord and the cloth on the backside of a Roman shade. The cord was not looped around the boy’s neck but rather ran from ear to ear and strangled the child. Description: This recall involves roll-up blinds without release clips (see picture below) and all Woolrich Roman shades. The roll-up blinds have plastic oval-shaped slats that measure about ¼ inch tall. The blinds measure either 72” or 96” long. The bottom rail has a WARNING label advising that “Young children can become entangled and strangle in cord or bead loops” and a label that reads “Lewis Hyman, Inc.” and the year of manufacture. Roll-up blinds that have release clips right below the head rail on the backside of the blind are not included in this recall. Sold at: The Roman shades were sold exclusively at Target stores nationwide and on Target.com from March 2006 through December 2008 for between $25 and $43. The roll-up blinds were sold at retail stores nationwide from January 1999 through December 2003 for between $6 and $20. Manufactured in: China Remedy: Consumers should immediately check the backside of the roll-up blinds to determine if they have release clips. If the roll-up blind does not have release clips, stop using it immediately and contact Lewis Hyman for a free repair kit. Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Lewis Hyman toll-free at (877) 354-5457 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT daily, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.lewishymaninc.com/recall Note: CPSC reminds consumers to examine all Roman Shades and Roll-up blinds in their homes. If looped pull cords, exposed inner cords, or exposed lifting loops are found and children are in the home or occasionally visit your home, please consider replacing the blinds or shades with products that do not have exposed pull cords or inner cords. CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx --- 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. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
