ExpertRECALL Offers Six Critical Safety Tips for Parents Following Recall of Dangerous Window Blinds and Shades
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ --Following the massive recall announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and the death of several children due to unsafe blinds and shades sold by retailers nationwide, ExpertRECALL today offered concerned parents six critical and immediate safety measures to take to increase the safety of the children in their homes.
According to ExpertRECALL's senior CPSC counselor and former director of compliance at the CPSC, David Schmeltzer, "Every parent should follow a quick check list of six critical steps to ensure the safe operation of the blinds in their homes." These include:
Immediately visit the Consumer Product Safety Website at http://www.cpsc.gov/ and view the section on "Recent Recalls." You may also go to the manufacturer's web site for information regarding the recall. Ensure that you do not have any of the identified products in your house by inspecting the labels, reviewing purchase receipts or conducting a visual inspection using the reference pictures on the CPSC website.
Contact the manufacturers' toll free numbers listed on the CPSC web site for each of the recalled products to ascertain the correct method of either returning or retrofitting the product.
If you identify that your blinds are part of the recall, immediately discontinue use and remove the blinds.
Help spread the word about the recall to families and friends with young children via your online social networking efforts, blogs, neighborhood parent gatherings and email lists.
Ensure your pre-school or day care provider is aware of the recall and has taken the appropriate steps to comply with the CPSC warnings.
Going forward, utilize warranty or registration cards (if available) provided by manufacturers so that you will be immediately notified of any product recalls. It is the most effective and rapid way to ensure the safest use of consumer products in your home.
"The goal for any manufacturer should be responding quickly and effectively to the current recall and move rapidly to address the concerns raised by the CPSC," said Mike Rozembajgier, Director of Recalls for ExpertRECALL, the nation's largest recall management solutions provider. "In this new era of accountability, it is important to remember that the manufacturer is no longer solely responsible for ensuring the safety of the products on America's shelves. New federal regulations that were implemented just this month hold everyone in the consumer chain, from the manufacturer to the retailer, legally responsible for the safety of the products on our shelves."
Under the new, recently implemented Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, manufacturers and retailers that fail to notify and correct the hazardous product could face dramatically increased fines up to $15 million per violation.
"This new change means that today you have literally dozens of organizations, from the big retailers to the smaller manufacturers, working around the clock to ensure that the recalled products are removed and that America's homes are kept safe," said Rozembajgier.
About ExpertRECALL
ExpertRECALL is a service of Stericycle (SRCL). ExpertRECALL is the industry leader in managing consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL streamlines the entire product recall process and manages Notification & Response, Processing & Tracking, and Compliance & Reporting for pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer products companies. For more information, visit http://www.expertrecall.com.
