The U.S. government recently filed a lawsuit against Michaels Stores for the company’s late reporting of a consumer product safety hazard and failure to disclose that it was the importer of the unsafe product, said the Consumer Product Safety Commission in a press release issued April 22 (here). According to the complaint filed in Northern Texas U.S. District Court, Michaels knew glass vases it imported and sold in its stores were so thin that they would easily break and cut the hands of the person holding the vase, but failed to report the hazard to CPSC for over a year. When the company finally did report the problem, it said it was not the importer even though it was importer of record of the vases, allowing it to avoid legal and financial responsibility for the resulting recall, said the complaint.

Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on April 23 the following voluntary recalls:

Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on April 22 the following voluntary recalls:

Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on April 21 the following voluntary recalls:

Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on April 14 the following voluntary recalls:

Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on April 14 the following voluntary recalls:

Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on April 8 the following voluntary recalls:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has received a request to amend flammability test procedures for textiles, it said in a notice (here). The International Association of Users of Artificial and Synthetic Filament Yarns and of Natural Silk says current requirements for conditioning (i.e., bringing a fabric up to a desired temperature and humidity before testing flammability) are unrealistic and produce unreliable results. The current standard for silk, as well as other textile materials, should be brought in line with the relevant industry standards, said the trade group in its petition. Comments on the petition are due June 8.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is asking for comments by June 2 on whether changes are warranted to its flammability standard for mattress sets (here). Comments should address the effectiveness of the standard, whether it imposes an excessive burden, its clarity, and how well CPSC is communicating with industry to ensure compliance with the standard.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is further extending the comment period on its proposed mandatory safety standard for recreational off-highway vehicles (ROVs) (here). Under the proposed rule, issued in November (see 1411180014), ROVs would have to meet lateral stability and vehicle handling requirements, have vehicle speed limits when seat belts are unfastened, and include a barrier or structure to prevent the ejection of an occupant in the event of a rollover. Comments on the proposed rule are now due June 19.