When companies receive reports and supporting evidence of safety hazards for a product they produce, they have a 24-hour window in which they are supposed to report it to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Not doing so can cause other consumers using the product to injure themselves due to the defect. Black & Decker did not comply with the requirement to report the safety defect for allegedly 11 years. They have a responsibility to consumers to report safety defects immediately and compensate them for product liability.
This will be the fifth time Black & Decker has been fined for not reporting safety hazards to consumers immediately concerning their products. The company is being required to pay a $1.575 million civil penalty to settle the allegations.
The products in question this time are two electric lawn mowers. Consumers reported that the lawn mower models would turn back on after the handle was released and the safety key removed. In some cases, the lawn mower would run for hours after it had originally been turned off and it had restarted on its own. The defect in the products has caused several injuries and the company had received over 100 reports.
CPSC reported that Black & Decker hired an outside expert who found the defect back in 2004. Black & Decker did not report the safety hazard until 2009 and waited another year before they would agree to a recall.
In addition to the civil penalty fine, Black & Decker is being required to maintain an internal compliance program. This is the fifth time Black & Decker has failed to report safety hazards in their products within the required time frame and has been required to pay civil penalties. They continue to disregard the safety measures that have been put in place to keep consumers safe. Black & Decker is responsible for compensating consumers affected by the defect, fixing the defective products they produced, and ensuring they do not continue to have safety hazards in their products. The knowledge and experience product liability lawyers offer their clients can help consumers receive the compensation they deserve.
Consumers should be able to shop for products without having to worry if they will be injured due to a safety defect in the product. Contact a Chicago product liability lawyer today. We have experienced attorneys who have handled many types of product liability cases and fought for their client’s right to compensation.
