January 2019 Consumer Product Recall Analysis

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Recalls Analysis

As the U.S. federal government was shut down from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019, due to lapsed funding, nine executive departments including the CPSC had to partially or fully shut down. Due to the shut down there was only one recall for the month of January.

January 2019 - CPSC
Product	Reason/Hazard(s)
Children’s bed railing	Entrapment and suffocation to young children; failed to meet mandatory safety standard 16 CFR 1224

Read more: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls

Health Canada Recalls Analysis

In January 2019, there were 21 recall notices issued for consumer products by Health Canada, which was fewer than the number of recall notices issued for consumer products in December 2018 (26 recall notices). We’ve highlighted some of the recalls relevant for the softlines and hardlines industries below.

January 2019 – Health Canada
Product	Reason/Hazard(s)
Infant rattle socks	Contains small adornments that may detach, posing a choking hazard for infants and young children
Toy doll	Exceeds the allowed phthalate level
Crib	Hardware can become loose and detach, allowing the sides of the crib to widen, creating a hazardous gap in which infants and toddlers can become wedged or entrapped, posing risks of suffocation and strangulation
High chair	Can develop cracks in the leg hinge and break, posing a fall and injury hazard to the occupant

EU RAPEX Recalls

In January 2019, there were 113 product recall alerts issued through the EU’s Rapid Alert System (RAPEX). Toys accounted for the overwhelming majority of product recalls with 70, followed by clothing, textiles, and fashion items with 22 recalls, hobby and sports equipment accounting for 17 recalls, and childcare articles with 4 recalls. We’ve highlighted the recalled product categories and hazards below.

January 2019 – EU RAPEX
Product Categories	Reason/Hazard(s)
Clothing, textiles, and fashion items	The majority of recalls in this category were for choking hazards from small parts. One-third of recalls were due to chemicals, in particular chromium VI failures in leather products. In addition, jewelry accessories were found to contain cadmium levels of over 90%, resulting in compliance failures.
Childcare articles	The recalls for childcare items resulted from risks associated with both injury and entrapment and choking and suffocation.
Hobby and sports equipment	The recalls resulted from the risk of burns and fire presented by hoverboard-type products. There was also a noticeable number of recalls on mountain climbing equipment that does not meet PPE requirements and presents a risk for physical injury.
Toys	The main recalls were for phthalate and boron content in toy items. In addition, recalls were issued due to small part choking hazards.