Poussettes dangereuses / Baby buggies recalled over safety risk

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Baby buggies recalled over safety risk

November 10, 2009 -- One million folding pushchairs have been recalled after a dozen children had their fingertips cut off in the hinges. All Maclaren single and double umbrella buggies, including the popular Volo and Techno models, were voluntarily recalled in the U.S. The British firm, which claims to produce "the world's most safe" pushchairs stressed that the UK is not affected.

Parents in America have been advised to stop using them immediately by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Maclaren said customers should contact the company for a free set of hinge covers which resolve the problem. There have been 15 cases of children placing their finger in the hinges "resulting in 12 reports of fingertip amputations", a joint statement from the firm and the CPSC said.

A Maclaren spokesman added: "Consistent with our unwavering commitment to child safety we are providing U.S. consumers notice of a voluntary recall of all Maclaren umbrella strollers sold in the U.S. In co-operation with the U.S. CPSC, we are providing free of charge to all affected consumers and retailers a kit to cover the stroller's hinge mechanism, which poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller. The voluntary recall is to alert the operator when opening or closing the stroller of the possible risk of injury. Safety is our first priority and through this voluntary effort we urge consumers to contact us immediately to obtain the kit which consists of hinge covers designed specifically to fit all Maclaren strollers."

Maclaren told Sky News the recall does not apply to umbrella buggies sold in the UK because "there are a lower number of similar reported incidents amongst the considerably higher number of Maclaren buggies sold in Europe annually relative to the U.S. market". However, as a precaution, the company will put additional warning labels on their pushchairs and in instruction manuals. The company also highlighted that the definition of "recall" is different in the U.S. and can include all types of corrective action such as the "modification of products at consumers' homes". Maclaren USA is not recalling products from parents for replacement or refund. The recalled models include the Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller.

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Row over pushchair safety risks

November 10, 2009 -- A consumer group has called for UK parents to receive the same protection as those in the U.S., amid fears of amputation risks from a pushchair. Owners of one million Maclaren pushchairs in the U.S. have been told to stop using them after a dozen children had their fingers amputated in a hinge. They are being sent a safety kit, but UK owners of identical models will only get extra guidance on their use. The consumers' association Which? said UK consumers should also be sent kits.

The amputations happened when children placed their finger in the hinge while the pushchair, or stroller, was being unfolded. The models involved in the safety alert include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller - including single and double umbrella pushchairs. Patty Davis of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said the organisation had received a total of 15 reports of injuries to children's fingers. Twelve of those had resulted in the amputation of fingertips.

The company said that there had not been the same level of concern in the UK and Europe. After discussion with trading standards officers, no safety kits will be sent out in the UK. "There are a lower number of similar reported incidents among the considerably higher number of Maclaren buggies sold in Europe annually relative to the US market," said a spokesman for Maclaren Europe.

But one reader of the BBC News website said that her grandson had his little finger injured, but parents might have thought that such an incident was simply an accident and not reported it. And Lara Bond, a teacher from London, said her child was injured. "My daughter lost her finger tip in a folding Maclaren Volo last year, when she was four. It had to be re-attached, but has left a scar. I did not report it at the time, but think now I should have," she told the BBC. "I took the pushchair to the tip the week afterwards. In an ideal world, you get your pushchair folded up and unfolded when your children are not there, but in the real world, children push and shove and are impatient."

And Which? said that, although one of the Maclaren models was awarded its best buy status in February 2008, there should be the same level of protection in the UK as the U.S. "Consumers in the U.S. are being offered a free safety kit to add to their Maclaren pushchair and we think that British consumers should be offered the same protection," said Jenny Driscoll of Which? "Maclaren has said that it will be placing additional warning labels on buggies to alert parents to potential dangers. We would like to see all manufacturers that produce pushchairs that use an umbrella folding mechanism to adopt this practice."

Northamptonshire Trading Standards officials were consulted about the pushchair and said that Maclaren models complied with safety rules. "Because the pushchairs conform to EU regulations and there has only been one reported injury involving a Maclaren pushchair in the UK, we advised them that a recall in this country or EU was not a legal requirement," said David Hedger, interim head of trading standards at the local authority. "Any decision to voluntarily take action in relation to such products would have to be made by Maclaren as we have no power to recall a product that conforms to safety standards. This issue acts as a timely reminder to parents to take extra care when putting up any children's equipment that has a folding mechanism."

The free repair kit in the U.S. provides hinge covers for each side of the pushchair, which would restrict access to the hinges. In the UK, the company said it had updated its operating instructions and placed a warning label on the buggy, to ensure that customers took care and kept children away from the buggy when it was being folded or unfolded. "Our advice is that consumers should take the same level of caution and care as when opening or closing a car door or any other moving part that can be found in many other baby and toddler products," it said. "If a buggy is folded or unfolded in line with our operating instructions, the risk of injury is non-existent."

A spokesman for Mothercare said: "To ensure our customers have all the information available on this subject, we are providing in stores and online the guidelines Maclaren have issued for the safe folding of all their buggies."

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Maclaren rules out UK pushchair recall in safety scare

November 10, 2009 -- The baby and toddler equipment manufacturer Maclaren today defended its decision not to organise a European recall of children's pushchairs at the centre of a safety scare, despite having done so in the U.S. Consumer groups called for British shoppers to be given the same levels of protection as Americans, and advised parents to boycott the models in question if they were worried they were unsafe.

The company ‑ founded in Britain but now US-owned ‑ announced yesterday that 1 million folding pushchairs were being recalled after 12 children had their fingertips cut off when they were caught in hinges. All Maclaren single and double umbrella pushchairs in the U.S., including the popular Volo and Techno models, were voluntarily recalled by the firm, which said it was providing customers and retailers with a kit to cover the elbow joint on the hinge mechanism. The company insisted the recall would not apply to the UK or the rest of Europe and said the risk of injury was "non-existent" if the pushchairs were opened and closed correctly. Its decision was backed by UK trading standards officials, who said there had been only one recorded accident in the UK involving a Maclaren buggy, and the product was considered to conform to safety standards. Maclaren said that the products fully complied with European safety legislation.

In a statement, Maclaren Europe said: "We wish to reassure our customers that they should continue to use their existing Maclaren buggies since they are safe when opened and closed correctly. As further reassurance we have updated our operating instructions and placed a warning label on the buggy to ensure that customers take care and keep children away from the buggy, when it is being folded or unfolded. Our advice is that consumers should take the same level of caution and care as when opening or closing a car door, or any other moving part that can be found in many other baby and toddler products."

Northamptonshire trading standards department, which covers Maclaren's UK base in Long Buckby, said a product recall in the U.S. was not the same as that in the UK and no pushchairs were being taken back from consumers. The interim head of trading standards, David Hedger, said: "The product recall in the U.S. is to alert people to a potential safety risk. Maclaren approached us seeking our advice on this issue in September. Because the pushchairs conform to EU regulations and there has only been one reported injury involving a Maclaren pushchair in the UK, we advised them that a recall in this country or EU was not a legal requirement. Any decision to voluntarily take action in relation to such products would have to be made by Maclaren, as we have no power to recall a product that conforms to safety standards."

Jenny Driscoll, of the consumer group Which?, said: "Maclaren pushchairs meet all relevant British and US safety standards and have performed well in our tests. However, consumers in the US are being offered a free safety kit to add to their Maclaren pushchair and we think that British consumers should be offered the same protection. Maclaren has said that it will be placing additional warning labels on buggies to alert parents to potential dangers. We'd like to see all manufacturers that produce pushchairs that use an umbrella folding mechanism to adopt this practice."

Maria Battle, senior director of Consumer Focus, agreed: "We are calling on Maclaren to do the right thing and give their customers in the UK the same levels of protection as they have in the U.S., with immediate effect. Our advice to consumers is to either stop using the pushchairs immediately or to use them with extreme caution and care until Maclaren rectifies this situation. Despite its claim of meeting EU guidance on product safety, our children's welfare is the most important consideration. A safety announcement and a modification kit have been introduced in the U.S. and this should be mirrored in the UK." She added: "We are calling for the EU safety standards in this area to be re-examined, as there is clearly something wrong when a product identified as posing a danger to children in America is passed as fit for sale here."

[Al-khiyal]

Poussettes MacLaren :
Attention aux doigts !

Mardi 10 Novembre 2009 -- Au vu des parts de marché très importantes de ce fabricant de poussettes, c'est une information qui va inquiéter beaucoup de parents. MacLaren a rappelé un million de poussettes défectueuses vendues aux Etats-Unis, à la demande de la Commission américaine de sécurité des consommateurs (CPSC). Ce rappel concerne toutes les poussettes MacLaren simples et doubles avec ombrelle, portant le mot "MacLaren" imprimé sur le produit. Les modèles Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno et Easy Traveller sont concernés par le rappel. Ces modèles, commercialisés dans le monde entier entre 1999 et novembre 2009 entre 100 et 360 dollars, sont fabriqués en Chine, rappelle la CPSC qui appelle les consommateurs à "arrêter immédiatement d'utiliser ces produits jusqu'à nouvel ordre" et à contacter l'entreprise pour recevoir "un kit de réparation gratuit" de la part de MacLaren USA. "Le système d'articulation de la poussette présente un risque d'amputation des doigts et un danger de lacération de l'enfant quand le consommateur ouvre et ferme la poussette", explique le communiqué. "MacLaren a reçu 15 plaintes à propos d'enfants plaçant leur doigts dans le système d'articulation de la poussette, ayant résulté dans 12 cas d'amputation de doigts aux Etats-Unis", détaille-t-il.

Et la France ?

Contacté par TF1 News, Mac Laren France veut relativiser l'opération. "À la base, le communique ne concerne que le marché américain, c'est une opération de "recall" suite à des cas de doigts d'enfants écrasées au moment du pliage de la poussette. Cela ne veut pas dire un rappel physique de toutes les poussettes", explique la marque. Concrètement, deux tubes métalliques de ces poussettes, qui sont également distribuées en France, sont reliés par une pièce plastique. Si un enfant met le doigt dans cette pièce au moment du pliage, il risque de se le faire écraser. "Dans tous nos modes d'emplois, nous demandons déjà aux parents de tenir leurs enfants à l'écart pendant le pliage. Mais c'est vrai que tous ne le lisent pas...", regrette la marque qui rappelle que ses poussettes répondent aux normes européennes.

"Il n'y aura pas de rappel en France car il y a peu de cas", annonce MacLaren. Pressée par les demandes, la branche française va toutefois mettre à disposition de ses clients français le kit de réparation prévu à la base pour les Etats-Unis. Cette pièce textile empêchant les enfants de mettre leurs doigts dans le mécanisme sera disponible aussi vite que possible. "Nous les avons commandés en urgence et devrions pouvoir les distribuer dès lundi prochain. Nous organisons les modalités d'envoi. Nous informerons nos clients très bientôt", explique à TF1 News MacLaren France en annonçant qu'un nouveau design de la pièce a déjà été développé pour ses futures poussettes.

En fin d'après-midi mardi, le fabricant publiait un communiqué. "Nous souhaitons rassurer nos clients et leur dire qu'ils peuvent continuer à utiliser les poussettes Maclaren qu'ils ont en leur possession, car celles-ci sont sûres quand elles sont correctement ouvertes et pliées. Nous avons mis à jour nos manuels d'utilisation et avons ajouté sur les poussettes une étiquette d'avertissement pour s'assurer que les consommateurs prennent garde à tenir leur enfant à l'écart de la poussette lorsqu'ils la plient ou la déplient. Nous recommandons aux consommateurs de prendre les mêmes précautions que lorsqu'ils ouvrent ou ferment une porte de voiture ou qu'ils manipulent une partie mobile que l'on peut trouver dans de nombreux produits pour bébés ou enfants", commente MacLaren. "Nous allons mettre à jour notre site internet pour donner aux consommateurs des conseils clairs et les manuels d'utilisation", ajoute la marque.

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Maclaren to issue buggy safety kits

November 12, 2009 -- UK-based baby buggy manufacturer Maclaren has said it will issue "safety kits" for parents who are concerned over reports that some children's fingertips have been cut off. The company, which made the same move in the US earlier this week, previously said the policy was not necessary in the UK. But on Thursday a spokeswoman said concerned customers could obtain the hinge covers, which can be used to protect the folding mechanism, free of charge from the company's customer services department. Safety concerns were sparked when the company, whose UK base is in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, announced the recall of a million buggies in the U.S. after reports of 12 children having their fingers cut off. The recall involved supplying parents with extra hinge covers to stop children getting their hands caught. But Maclaren and trading standards experts in Northamptonshire said the measure was not necessary in the UK as there had only been one complaint of an injury, and it seemed the U.S. injuries had occurred when the buggies were not completely put up.

On Thursday, Dylan Johnson, general manager of Maclaren UK, said: "Most of the people at Maclaren are parents themselves and understand that our children come first. That's why we ensure that our products meet and often exceed the EU and U.S. product safety and quality standards. In the last few days, we have heard from hundreds of customers at our call centre and we have been able to reassure them about the quality and safety of our products. Most parents understand that they have to be vigilant when operating mechanical products around children, similar to the care they show when securing children in cars or protecting them around the home. We stress that our buggies are completely safe and fully compliant but, if parents remain concerned or worried, we urge them to talk to us. I appreciate completely the concerns this issue has raised with the UK public and our objective is and has always been to reassure parents." Mr Johnson said customers who wanted further reassurance could contact customer services on 01327 841320, which could also supply free hinge covers. He said they could also email on advice@maclaren.co.uk and could download user instructions for all models online from Maclaren | Global.

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Poussettes dangereuses :
Maclaren rassure la Commission européenne

BRUXELLES, Jeudi 3 Décembre 2009 — La Commission européenne a annoncé jeudi avoir reçu l'assurance du fabricant de poussettes Maclaren qu'il allait équiper toutes ses poussettes de protections de charnières dès le 1er janvier, à la suite d'un risque d'amputation du doigt constaté sur le marché américain. Dans une lettre à la commissaire européenne à la Protection des consommateurs, Meglena Kuneva, Maclaren assure que des kits de protection de charnières sont déjà distribués sur demande au niveau mondial. En outre, "toutes les poussettes livrées à partir de janvier 2010 seront équipées de manière standard de ces protections de charnière", annonce le fabricant dans son courrier rendu public par la Commission. Mme Kuneva s'est félicitée du "pas en avant très positif" que représente cette décision, "qui rassurera les consommateurs en Europe et les normes de sécurité élevées qu'ils méritent".

En novembre, le Canada et les Etats-Unis ont émis des avis de retrait concernant plus d'un million de poussettes Maclaren à la suite d'un risque d'amputation ou de lacération du doigt de l'enfant présenté par la charnière "lorsque la poussette n'est pas ouverte ou fermée complètement conformément aux instructions du fabricant". Le rappel concerne des poussettes simples et doubles de MacLaren, vendues entre 2004 et 2009. Les modèles visés sont les suivants: Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, TechnoXLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno et Easy Traveller. Au Canada, un seul incident a été déclaré, une lacération causée par le système d'articulation, selon Santé Canada. Aux États-Unis, MacLaren a reçu 15 plaintes à propos d'enfants qui ont placé leurs doigts dans le système d'articulation de la poussette. Dans 12 cas, l'incident a entraîné l'amputation de l'extrémité d'un doigt.

La branche européenne du fabricant britannique avait pour sa part annoncé que ses poussettes vendues en Europe étaient "sûres" et que le rappel ne s'appliquait pas à cette région. "Nous souhaitons rassurer nos clients et leur dire qu'ils peuvent continuer à utiliser les poussettes Maclaren qu'ils ont en leur possession, car celles-ci sont sûres quand elles sont correctement ouvertes et pliées", avait alors écrit la branche Europe du groupe dans un communiqué du 10 novembre. L'annonce de Mme Kuneva fait suite à un entretien qu'elle a eu jeudi matin avec le PDG de Maclaren U.S., M. Farzad Rastegar.