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Officials urge parents to discard old drop-side cribs
New ban on their sale is effective in February
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| | | Suffolk Executive Steve Levy today signed into law the nation’s first ban on the sale of drop-side cribs, authored by Legislator Wayne Horsley, right. Present were two families, back from left, who lost their sons to drop-side crib accidents: Michel and Henning Witte and Susan and Robert Cirigliano. Courtesy Suffolk County (click for larger version) | |
December 01, 2009 | 11:43 AM
Today, as the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the largest crib recall in United States history, Suffolk Executive Steve Levy signed into law the first-in-the-nation prohibition on the sale of dangerous drop-side cribs, which County Legislator Wayne Horsley wrote.
The lawmakers were joined at the bill signing by Susan and Robert Cirigliano, who lost their 6-month-old son Bobby to a drop-side crib malfunction in 2004, and Michele and Henning Witte who similarly lost their 10-month-old son Tyler in 1997.
Under the Suffolk legislation, effective this February, any infant crib with three immovable sides and a fourth side that moves up and down shall be prohibited for retail in Suffolk County. A February 2009 report issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission states drop-side cribs are responsible for more deaths than any other nursery product, totaling 90 deaths in a two-year span, as well as more than 11,000 injuries over the same period.
The Suffolk Legislature passed its landmark drop-side crib ban unanimously Oct. 13.
"One of the last places a parent assumes their child may be in danger would be in his or her own crib," Levy stated. "We owe it to our youngsters to minimize their exposure to dangerous and potentially deadly products, and Legislator Horsley's landmark legislation will provide parents with one less hazard to worry about."
Horsely stated, "Our message to crib manufacturers is loud and clear, stop wasting time and stop putting our children in danger. If manufacturers are determined to continue producing these deadly products it is time for other municipalities to follow in Suffolk County's footsteps and ban them outright."
Broadening the scope of a potential drop-side crib ban, the American Society for Testing and Materials International announced that last week it approved a new standard that requires four immovable, or fixed, sides for full-size cribs. The standard essentially eliminates the manufacture of drop-side cribs. The new standard had been under evaluation for nearly a year. Many major retailers have already removed drop-side cribs from their stores. The ASTM is an international body that sets voluntary industry standards.
Under the Suffolk drop-side crib ban any person who knowingly retails drop-side cribs in violation of the law will be subject to a civil penalty of $500 for initial violations, and a penalty of $1,000 for each subsequent violation.
Horsley also stressed that older drop-side cribs placed in family storage for use among several generations should be discarded — even if they have not been subject to a recall — rather than passing them along to other family members or selling them at yard sales.
Parents who have a drop-side crib in their home are advised to check to see if it has been recalled at www.recalls.gov or www.cpsc.gov.
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