CPSC, Manufacturers Announce Recall of Wooden Bunk Beds

November 10, 1998
Release # 99-018

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For Immediate Release;
Contact: Ken Giles
(301) 504-0580 Ext. 1184

WASHINGTON, DC - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), five bunk bed manufacturers are recalling more than 37,000 wooden bunk beds. The beds have spaces on the top bunk that present potential entrapment and strangulation hazards to young children. The spaces can be large enough for a child's body to pass through, but small enough to entrap a child's head.

CPSC is not aware of any deaths associated with the beds being recalled by these five manufacturers. However, since 1990, 39 children have died from becoming entrapped in wooden or metal bunk beds with similar spaces on the top bunk. Thirty-seven of those children were 3 years old or younger. Since 1994, more than half a million hazardous bunk beds have been recalled.

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) voluntary standard for bunk beds requires that, in addition to having guardrails on both sides of the top bunk, any spaces between the guardrail and bed frame, and in the head and foot boards on the top bunk, be less than 3.5 inches. The manufacturers are participating in this recall to improve the safety of the beds and to meet the requirements of the voluntary standard. The manufacturers also will send consumers permanent labels to be placed on the beds to warn not to put children under the age of 6 on the upper bunk. CPSC and the manufacturers continue to urge parents and caregivers not to put children under the age of 6 on the top bunk.

Consumers should stop using the recalled beds immediately and call the company for a replacement guardrail, retrofit kit or instructions that will eliminate the potential entrapment hazard. The recalled beds were sold through flea markets and in specialty and furniture stores, including Workbench furniture store. If consumers are not sure of the bunk bed manufacturer or have any questions about this recall, they should call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772.

If any identification information is on the bed, it would be the manufacturer's name. If the manufacturer's name is on the bed, it would be on the inside top frame of the bunk bed, such as on the guardrail, head or footboard. It also could be underneath the bottom bunk.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury and for information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To order a press release through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov or via Internet gopher services at gopher.cpsc.gov. Consumers can report product hazards to info@cpsc.gov.