CPSC, Atico International USA Announce Recall of Children's Folding Chairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 29, 2005 Release #05-163

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Children's Folding Chair

Units Sold: About 1.5 million

Distributor: Atico International USA Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Problem: The chair's safety lock can fail, allowing the chair to collapse or fold unexpectedly. Children's fingers can become caught or entrapped in the hinge and slot areas of the chair, posing a pinch or cut hazard. This can cause severe lacerations and finger tip amputations to children's fingers.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received four reports of finger tip amputations and seven reports of lacerations to children's fingers.

Description: The recalled children's folding chairs are made of metal tubing with a padded seat. They were sold in red, blue, yellow and green colors either individually or as part of a set consisting of a table and four chairs. Each chair is about 22-inches high, 10-inches wide, and about 11-inches deep. "IMPORTED BY: ATICO INTERNATIONAL USA, INC." is written on a label located underneath the seat of some of the chairs.

Sold at: Hardware, discount department, toy, grocery and drug stores nationwide from September 2002 through April 2005 for about $10 individually and for about $30 for a set.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the chairs and contact Atico for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: Consumers should call Atico at (877) 546-4835 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the company's Web site at www.aticousa.com

-

Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $800 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

From: About.com