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[STK]
[IN] HOU REA
[SU] CHI
-- WITH PHOTO -- TO NATIONAL, AND RETAILING EDITORS:
Forman Mills Agrees to Pay $600,000 Civil Penalty for Failure to
Report Drawstrings in Children's Upper Outerwear
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that Forman Mills
Inc., of Pennsauken, N.J., has agreed to pay a $600,000 civil penalty.
The penalty agreement has been accepted provisionally by the
Commission in a 3-0 vote.
The settlement resolves CPSC staff's charges that from June 2007 to
February 2010, Forman Mills knowingly failed to report to the CPSC
immediately, as required by federal law, that the firm sold or held
for sale to consumers about 2,100 children's upper outerwear garments
with drawstrings. In February 1996, CPSC issued guidelines, which were
incorporated into a consensus industry voluntary standard in 1997, to
help prevent children from strangling or getting entangled on hood,
neck and waist drawstrings in upper garments, such as sweatshirts and
jackets.
In May 2006, the Commission posted a letter on its website stating
that staff considered children's upper outerwear with drawstrings at
the hood or neck to be defective and present a substantial risk of
injury to young children.
The four series of garments included in today's civil penalty were
sold or held for sale between June 2007 and February 2010. The
garments were recalled on January 6, 2009, February 18, 2010, April 8,
2010, and May 27, 2010.
In April 2009, the Commission issued an Order in which Forman Mills
agreed to pay a civil penalty of $35,000 to settle staff's charges
that the firm failed to report children's upper outerwear products
with drawstrings that the firm had distributed in commerce.
Forman Mills distributed some garments in the current civil penalty
matter during the same period as CPSC's investigation and negotiation
of the April 2009 civil penalty. There have been no reported injuries
associated with the recalled garments.
In addition to paying a monetary penalty, Forman Mills has agreed to
implement and maintain a compliance program designed to ensure
compliance with the statutes and regulations enforced by the
Commission. Forman Mills also agreed to maintain and enforce a system
of internal controls and procedures designed to ensure that
information required to be disclosed to the Commission is recorded,
processed and reported in accordance with applicable law and that all
reporting made to the Commission is timely, truthful, complete and
accurate. The firm will also take steps to ensure that prompt
disclosure is made to Forman Mills' management of any significant
deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of such
internal controls.
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 violates
any consumer product safety rule, or any other rule, regulation,
standard, or ban enforced by the CPSC.
The agreement is in settlement of the staff's charges and does not
constitute an admission by Forman Mills that it knowingly violated the
law.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting
the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with
the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's
jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer
product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC
is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that
pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to
ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power
tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals - contributed to a
decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer
products over the past 40 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a
publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory
recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to
www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or
teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers
can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on
Twitter @USCPSC or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.
Media Contact Please use the phone numbers below for all media
requests. Phone: (301) 504-7908 Spanish: (301) 504-7800
CPSC Consumer Information Hotline Contact us at this toll-free number
if you have questions about a recall: 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054)
Times: 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime Call to get
product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe
products.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO
SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
-0- 04/08/2014
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
/Web Site: http://www.cpsc.gov
CO: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
ST: District of Columbia New Jersey
IN: HOU REA
SU: CHI
PRN
-- DC00662 --
0000 04/08/2014 14:00:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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