Furniture

Strangulation

Fall

Poisoning

Poisoning

October 15, 1992 Release # 93-003 PRODUCT: Dial Manufacturing, Incorporated's model D5500 all blue evaporative water cooler pumps sold in 1990 and 1991 with "1990 Taiwan" inscribed on bottom. PROBLEM: Some of the pumps may have misaligned motor bearings that cause the pumps to fail and under certain conditions, catch fire. WHAT TO DO: Call 1-800-350-3425 and ask for the returned goods department or write to Dial Manufacturing, Inc., 2252 Grand Av., Phoenix, Arizona 85009 for a free replacement. WASHINGTON, DC -- Dial Manufacturing, Inc. of Phoenix, AZ, CPSC, has voluntarily initiated a replacement program for 150,000 Model D5500 evaporative water cooler pumps sold in 1990 and 1991. Some of the pumps may have misaligned motor bearings that could cause the pumps to fail and, under certain conditions, catch fire. A total of 119 pump fires have been reported to Dial since 1990. Ninety-eight of the fires reported occurred in the El Paso, Texas area. Most of the fires resulted in property damage to the cooler cabinets and/or home roofs. No injuries were reported. Evaporative coolers, commonly known as swamp coolers, are designed to blow moist cool air through ducts into a residence. They are generally found in the drier climates of the western and southwestern United States. The box shaped evaporative cooler cabinets are constructed of plastic or metal and are often installed on top of house roofs. A water cooler pump such as the Dial D5500 model is located inside the cooler cabinet. The pump functions to draw supplied water from the reservoir at the bottom of the cabinet to the distribution system at the top. Water then saturates the cooling pads located vertically inside the vented cabinet. Outside air is cooled and humidified as it is pulled through the pads by the cabinet blower. The blower then forces the moist cool air into the house. Because of the corrosive nature of the cooler environment, economy pumps such as the D5500 reportedly last only one season. However, some of these pumps are still in service. The 1990 Dial D5500 cooler pump has a blue plastic housing and has "1990 Taiwan" inscribed on the base plate. Consumers who identify this blue cooler pump should stop using their evaporative coolers until the pump is replaced. Dial will replace any 1990 blue D5500 cooler pump free of charge with a new 1991 red and white D5500 pump or a 1992 red and white D5000 pump. Consumers should call Dial toll free at 1-800-350-3425 and ask for the returned goods department or write to Dial at 2252 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009. CPSC is announcing this replacement program as part of its mission to protect the public from the unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The Commission's objective is to reduce the estimated 28.5 million injuries and 21,600 deaths associated each year with the 15,000 different types of consumer products under CPSC's jurisdiction

Fall

Entanglement; Strangulation

Choking

Entrapment

March 19, 1992 Release # 92-068 Gravitron Mobile Amusement Rides To Be Modified WASHINGTON, D.C -- In the wake of the accident last summer at the Missouri State Fair, Sedalia, MO, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Wisdom Manufacturing, Inc. (WMI) are announcing a program to modify the "Gravitron" mobile amusement ride. The ride is a whirling cylinder which uses centrifugal force to hold the riders to their seats as the seats rise, giving the illusion that the floor is dropping out. On August 20, 1991, at the Missouri State Fair, a panel on the ride separated, throwing some patrons onto the midway and injuring 11 children.The program announced today will strengthen the ride design and permit easier visual inspections by ride operators and inspectors. "These changes must be made to ensure riders' safety," said CPSC Chairman Jacqueline Jones-Smith.The modifications require ride operators and/or inspectors to: - Install turntable safety plates, - Install corner pin reinforcement plates, - Install an inside strap to the bottom frame, - Note additions and changes to operators manual, - Check and replace floor pins, if necessary, - Inspect the panel bottom hole, for cracking, - Trim carpet for easier floor pin inspection. Since several states including Missouri, where the accident occurred, have no state inspection requirements, it is especially important that ride operators participate in the modification program. For information on the program, operators and inspectors should contact WMI directly at 303-522-7515 or CPSC's Office of Compliance and Enforcement at 301-504-7913

Choking

Poisoning

March 9, 1992 Release # 92-056 Folding Chairs Being Voluntarily Replaced WASHINGTON, DC -- Alston Quality Industries, Inc., Linden, NJ, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is voluntarily offering to replace certain folding metal chairs that have the potential to collapse. The chairs were manufactured by MOBILSEDIA, SRL an Italian manufacturer, and approximately 268,000 were distributed through certain retail stores from 1985 to 1988. Alston voluntarily reported the potential consumer safety problem to CPSC after it received a number of customer complaints that in some instances the seats or backs cracked, or the hinge mechanism of the chair did not work as expected. Customers claimed various injuries ranging from bruises to back or knee injuries. The product being voluntarily replaced is a metal frame folding chair with plastic or fabric upholstered seats and backs. The key identifying feature is a black plastic plug hinge on the tubular metal frame. Alston is offering replacement model chairs to consumers who now have the MOBILSEDIA, SRL chairs being voluntarily replaced. Consumers should return the chairs to the place of purchase to receive replacement models. Consumers are urged to make sure their folding chairs are the MOBILSEDIA, SRL chairs from Alston. Use the accompanying illustrations and ask these questions to help identify the chairs eligible for replacement under the VOLUNTARY REPLACEMENT PROGRAM: - Is the hinge a black plastic plug with a rounded top, not a metal hinge or a ball-like metal hinge? - Does (or did) the MOBILSEDIA logo, a prominent stylized castle, appear on the box the chairs came in? - If it is a lucite chair, is the frame chrome or brass? Are the back and seat smooth, without a circular or semi- circular imprint? - If it is an upholstered chair, is the frame chrome? Are the seat and back either beige, gray, or black fabric? Consumers may direct their questions to Alston's Product Information Coordinator, Yvette, at (908) 925-2000 or write to Alston Quality Industries, Inc., 1200 Fuller Road, Linden, NJ 07036. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is announcing this voluntary replacement program as part of its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury from the 15,000 different types of products under its jurisdiction

Lead

Fall

Explosion/Projectiles; Poisoning

Choking

Collapse