As we have noted in a previous post, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, is tasked with ensuring products offered to consumers do not present "unreasonable risks of injury or death." When the CPSC receives reports of flaws or defects with a product, it must determine whether a recall in necessary.

Recently, the CPSC issued a recall of "stage and riser caddies" produced by Midwest Folding Products. These caddies are used to house "collapsible stages and risers" when they are not in use. They are made of metal and can store between six and eight platforms used to create moveable stages.

The recall was issued following a terrible accident in South Carolina. The latches on the caddy do not close automatically, but must be secured manually. If the latches are not closed, the stage and riser platforms stored in the caddy are not secure and may fall out of the caddy. In South Carolina, a platform used to create a portable stage was placed in the caddy, but the latches were not secured. Tragically, the platform fell out of the caddy, hitting a 3-year-old girl in the head. She suffered serious head trauma and later died.

The product was on the market for a long time, from January 1989 through March of this year. The CPSC estimates the recall affects approximately 5,300 caddies in the U.S. The caddies were primarily sold to "churches, schools, performing art centers and various other organizations."

The CPSC has instructed caddy owners to discontinue use immediately and contact the manufacturer for a repair kit.

Source: CPSC, "Stage and Riser Caddies Recalled by Midwest Folding Products Due to Risk of Injury or Death," August 1, 2012.

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