Furniture Company Recalls 300,000 Drawers After Child Dies, Says CPSC

More than 300,000 chests of drawers have been recalled after a 2-year-old died when one tipped over.

South Shore Industries, Ltd., announced the recall of its Libra-style three-drawer chests due to stability issues if they aren’t anchored to a wall, said the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on May 9.

The agency warned that the chests can pose “serious tip-over and entrapment hazards that can result in death or injuries to children.”

The recalled chests in question. (CPSC)

The Libra-style chests were sold in nine colors, and each drawer has a metal handle, the notice stated. The model number is printed on a label located on the back of the chest.

The chests are 27.5 inches high by 31.25 inches wide and are 15.5 inches deep. They each weigh about 56 pounds.

Model numbers, colors, and how to contact the manufacturer can be accessed via the CPSC’s website.

Label with model number on the back of the chests (CPSC)

“Consumers should immediately stop using any recalled chest that is not properly anchored to the wall, and place it in an area that children cannot access,” said the agency.

The notice said that South Shore got two reports of tip-over incidents.

“One report stated that a child received bruises on his leg and scratches. Another incident reported a fatality involving a two-year-old and an unanchored, empty 3-drawer chest,” the agency said.

The chests, which were made in Mexico and Canada, were sold on Walmart.com, Target.com, and other online retailers between October 2009 through July 2018 for around $60.

More than 310,000 of the products are being recalled across the United States. About 6,000 were recalled in Canada, said Healthy Canadians, which added that more than 5,000 were also sold in Mexico.

Three years ago, furniture giant IKEA recalled millions of dressers after several children were killed. The firm issued a recall of 29 million MALM chests and drawers, a popular model, after three children died.

“It is simply too dangerous to have the recalled furniture in your home unanchored, especially if you have young children,” former CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye said in a statement at the time of the IKEA recall.

“Do it now and you may save the life of a child,” Elliot said. “If you have an IKEA chest or dresser, please respond to the recall immediately.”

Other details about the recall were not provided.

More Recalls

Tyson Foods issued a recall of over 11 million pounds of chicken strips.

The Arkansas-based company produced chicken strips that could be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically pieces of metal, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

(U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service)

The chicken strips were shipped to retail and Department of Defense locations nationwide. They were also being used in institutions across the country.

Two consumers found pieces of metal in their Tyson chicken strips and alerted the service, which said that it’s now aware of six complaints and three injuries from the issue. The health risk for the alert is listed as high.

The products were produced from Oct. 1, 2018, to March 8, 2019, and have “Use By Dates” on the packages of Oct. 1, 2019, through March 7, 2020. All of the products bear the establishment number “P-7221” on the back of the package.

Meanwhile, in late April, another company announced it is recalling blood and heart pressure tablets after a carcinogenic ingredient was found.

Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging is expanding a recall of one repackaged lot of Losartan tablets.

It said that trace amounts of the potentially cancer-linked chemical, NMBA, were discovered. The agency described it as a “possible process impurity or contaminant.”

Epoch Times reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.