Recall: Wooden and Metal Bunk Beds Recall

Note: Firm phone number change, Firm out of business

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT: Nychelle White
Originally issued April 7, 1997; Revised July 9, 2001	(301) 504-7063
Release # 97-095

CPSC Announces Recall of Wooden and Metal Bunk Beds

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), five bunk bed manufacturers are recalling approximately 3,100 wooden and metal bunk beds. The bunk beds have openings on the top bunk that present a potential entrapment hazard 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.

Since November 1994, CPSC and 31 manufacturers have announced recalls of more than 511,400 wooden bunk beds with similar entrapment hazards. In response to this action, the manufacturers participating in this recall have also identified wooden and metal bunk beds with similar entrapment hazards.

Since 1990, CPSC has received reports of 34 children who died from becoming caught in spaces in the top of wooden bunk beds. Thirty-three of those children were 3 years old or younger. In addition, CPSC has received reports of four children who died from becoming caught in spaces in the top of metal bunk beds. All four children were 2 years old or younger.

The ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) voluntary standard for bunk beds requires that, in addition to having guardrails on both sides of the top bunk, all spaces between the guardrail and bed frame, and in the head and foot boards on the top bunk, be less than 3.5 inches. Bunk beds currently made by the companies listed below now meet the spacing requirement of the voluntary standard. The companies are also providing permanent labels or placing permanent labels on their bunk beds to warn that children under age 6 be prohibited from the upper bunk. CPSC and the manufacturers continue to urge parents and caregivers not to put children under age 6 on the top bunk.

The manufacturers listed below are participating in this recall to improve the safety of these beds and to meet the requirements of the voluntary standard. Consumers should stop using the recalled beds immediately and call the company or contact the retailer for a replacement guardrail, retrofit kit, or instructions to help eliminate the potential entrapment hazard. If this cannot be done (for example, firm out of business) then consumers should discard or destroy the product. If consumers are not sure of the bunk bed manufacturer or have questions about this recall, they should call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772.

		Dates
Company	Model(s)	Distributed	Locations
Acme Trading Corp.	2441	July 1996 -	CA, CO, IL,
Vernon, CA	Metal Bunk Beds	January 1997	NE, OK, OR,
(213) 623-0000			TX
Chicken & Egg Furniture	Horizontal and Spindle	1987 - 1997	CA, CO, ID,
Seattle, WA	Rung Blakely		IL, MN, MT,
OUT OF BUSINESS	Wooden Bunk Beds		NV, OR, WA,
			WI
IEM Furniture	2155B, 2155G, 2155W,	1994 - 1996	CA, NV, OR,
City of Commerce, CA	2153B, 2153G, 2153W		WA
(323) 888-1688	Metal Bunk Beds
Lewis Furniture Mfg. Co.	202	1989-	GA, SC
Williamston, SC	Wooden Bunk Beds	January 1997
(864) 847-4281
Silver Eagle Corp.	Loft-1, CBD-Bunk-TT,	1995 - 1997	CA, NV, OR,
Sacramento, CA	CSH-Bunk-TT, RBD-Loft,		WA
(916) 925-6099	REC-Bunk-TT
	Wooden Bunk/Loft Beds
	when used in a bunk bed
	configuration