The number of product recalls is at its highest since 2016, ranging from carbon-monoxide-emitting gas stoves to treadmills.
However, thousands of people are injured or killed each year by faulty gadgets, devices, and toys, according to a new analysis of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) data released Thursday by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG).
Consumer product recalls increased 33% from the previous year. However, according to a new analysis from the USPIRG Education Fund, consumers may not always listen and companies may not respond to safety threats quickly enough. The mismatch between alerts and awareness has resulted in avoidable injuries and deaths.
According to USPIRG, it can take months or years after a person is injured or worse before a company issues a recall. Recalls of products can take months or years.” It investigated the chasm between product safety warnings and consumer awareness.
“Incident reports show that products are frequently linked to serious incidents, yet the company and government take far too long to announce a recall,” USPIRG said in a statement.
Similarly, customers may miss the memo or ignore it and continue to use the product.
“Re-announcements of certain recalls show that injuries frequently occur long after the initial recall,” USPIRG said, citing Generac Power Systems of Wisconsin as an example. After people continued to report finger amputations 16 months after the initial recall, it renewed a recall on 321,160 portable generators in November.
According to USPIRG, one out of every five recalls issued last year resulted in injuries or deaths.
The report did not include information about recent FDA recalls of charcuterie meat, sausage, eye drops, and sunscreen.
The CPSC has issued approximately 30 recalls this year, at least one of which was a second alert. On Thursday alone, five of them were issued.