Personal Injury: Product Recall Creating a Safer Place

A product recall is a request to return to the manufacturer a batch or the entire production of a product. It usually occurs when a certain product is found to be defective or dangerous and may be harmful to people. There are some cases wherein a product recall indicates that a part of a product is defective and may necessitate repair or replacement. Sometimes the product needs to be returned to the manufacturer or dealer for a replacement or full refund.

There are times when a company is forced to issue a product recall. But there are also many times when they issue it voluntarily. In very serious cases, there may be a market withdrawal where products will be completely removed from all marketplaces and will no longer be for sale until it is modified and proven safe.

Steps to a Product Recall

1.    First, the manufacturer or the dealer contacts the authorities responsible regarding the intention to recall a product. There are consumer hotlines or other communication channels that are established per area or state.

2.    Second, announcements are released regarding the product recall on the respective government agency’s website, as well as notices on daily newspapers to make people aware of it. In some cases, due to a heightened publicity of the recall, there will also be news television reports.

3.    Third, when a consumer group hears about a product recall, they themselves have ways of notifying the public about it.

4.    Fourth, regardless of the condition of the product, the consumer is advised to return the product to the dealer for a modification or a full refund.

Lastly, the consumer will receive compensation depending on the specific laws governing consumer trade protection and the cause of the product recall.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is a government agency created in 1972 to protect people from products that may cause damage or injuries. It assembles a product recall list and includes detailed information about each recall. It has jurisdiction over about 15,000 types of consumer products, from toys to coffee makers to lawn mowers. Some types of products though are covered by other federal agencies.

This government agency aims to protect consumers against unreasonable risk of injury by banning consumer products, issuing recalls of products that are already in the market, and researching potential dangers associated with consumer products. It learns about unsafe products in many ways. One of them is by maintaining a consumer hotline and a website where consumers can report concerns about unsafe products or injuries associated with products. GP

October 18, 2008 | Filed Under Personal Injury Product Recall 

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