Personal Injury Law

CPSC Proposes New Rules That Would Ban Drop-Side Cribs

By Chrissie Cole

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) proposed new rules that would ban the manufacture and resale of drop-side cribs. Expected to take effect in 2011, the new crib standard would also ban drop-side cribs from childcare facilities, motels and hotels.

A drop-side crib is any crib that has a side rail that can be raised and lowered. These types of cribs have come under fire in recent years due to hardware problems that can lead to the rail partially detaching, which can create a dangerous gap between the mattress and rail where a baby can get entrapped and suffocate.

The agency voted (5 to 0) on Wednesday to develop new standards to make cribs with four fixed sides mandatory. Other issues were raised as well, including more durable materials and more stringent testing for cribs.

The deaths of at least 32 infants and toddlers since 2000 have been blamed on drop-side cribs. They are also the suspected cause in another 14 infant deaths. More than 9 million drop-side cribs have been recalled in the past five years. Two million cribs were recalled in June, which included Evenflo and several other brands.

For more information, please refer to the CPSC News Release.

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on July 16, 2010 (boomark / email).