The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Panline, Inc., a Northvale, New Jersey, importer, recently announced a voluntary recall of approximately 8,000 toddler-sized trampolines this week. The small trampolines equipped with a handle-bar have been deemed unsafe due to a fall hazard: the handle-bar can break causing a child to fall off the trampoline. No injuries have yet been reported.
The so-called “toddler-sized” Alex ® Model 786X Little Jumpers Trampoline trampolines were manufactured in China and imported by Panline. The trampolines were sold by independent retail and specialty toy stores throughout the U.S. for about $100 each from January through March 2012. A photo of the toddler-sized trampoline can be seen at the CPSC website: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12226.html
The voluntary recall concerns trampolines with the following codes printed beneath the barcode on a white label sewn to the product: 21011-P0003070, 21011-P0003246, 25511-P0003071, 27811-P0003372, 29811-P0003373 and 34211-P0003375.
The CPSC recall notice urges parents to immediately stop using and remove the trampoline from children’s play areas and access and to contact the firm for a replacement trampoline. Really? Maybe parents should consider the odds of receiving a safe replacement trampoline. Or maybe no trampoline at all.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, in 2003, hospitals, doctors' offices and clinics treated 211,646 trampoline-related injuries in children under age 19.[1][1] Of course, this product was primarily aimed at toddlers. Toddlers, as well as larger children or adults, on a trampoline present high risks of neck, back, head and arm injuries. Any time one has a child bouncing around with any kind of velocity and with little control, the risks are tremendous. Toddlers have less control over preventing falls than more coordinated, larger children. Trampoline-related injuries are often sprains and fractures, sometimes even paralysis and death. The first two are painful and costly—and the last two are catastrophic.
We notice in the advertising photo of the “Little Jumpers Trampoline,” the young child pictured on the package is not wearing wearing head protection, so one may question whether the manufacturer or importer is concerned about child safety. There is no mention of a refund, by the way. Yet, if your child is safe and healthy today and you have one of these Little Jumpers trampolines, maybe the trampoline should find its way to the local landfill.
[1][1] http://www.livestrong.com/article/134355-trampoline-safety-rules/
Comments for this article are closed.