California Company Fined for Sweatshirt Drawstrings
The Consumer Product Safety Commission fined a Los Angeles company $200,000 for failing to report that its children’s hooded sweatshirts had drawstrings at the neck, which are considered dangerous to children.
Winter Bee Inc. reached a settlement in which it will pay $40,000 of the $200,000 fine. In agreeing to the Dec. 3 settlement, Winter Bee, located at 4156 S. Main St., denied CPSC allegations that it knowingly violated the law.
The commission said it agreed to suspend $160,000 of the fine because the firm demonstrated its inability to pay the full amount.
In June 2009, the commission and Winter Bee announced a recall of 80,000 children’s hooded sweatshirts with drawstrings at the neck. Winter Bee manufactured and sold two styles of these sweatshirts under the brand name Speedy at various retailers in the Los Angeles area, the commission said.
Drawstring rules have been around for more than a decade. The CPSC issued drawstring guidelines in 1996 to help prevent children from strangling on or getting entangled in the neck and waist drawstrings of outerwear such as jackets or sweatshirts. In 1997, the industry voluntarily incorporated the CPSC guidelines.
In May 2006, the CPSC announced that all children’s upper-body outerwear with drawstrings at the hood or neck would be regarded as defective and dangerous to children.—Deborah Belgum
