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Why no UK baby buggy recall? Why no UK baby buggy recall?
(about 17 hours later)
By Nigel Pankhurst BBC News The recall will not be extended to the UK and the rest of Europe The recall will not be extended to the UK and the rest of Europe
British company Maclaren is recalling one million pushchairs in the US after 12 cases of children slicing off their fingertips in the hinges of certain collapsible buggies. But why is no similar action taking place in the UK? British company Maclaren is recalling one million pushchairs in the US after 12 cases of children slicing off their fingertips in the hinges of certain collapsible buggies.
But why is no similar action taking place in the UK where the same models are on sale?
Maclaren has voluntarily launched a recall of all its single and double umbrella pushchairs in the States, including the popular Volo and Techno products.Maclaren has voluntarily launched a recall of all its single and double umbrella pushchairs in the States, including the popular Volo and Techno products.
There have been reports of 15 children catching their fingers in the buggies' hinge mechanisms, resulting in a dozen "fingertip amputations".There have been reports of 15 children catching their fingers in the buggies' hinge mechanisms, resulting in a dozen "fingertip amputations".
It has prompted the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the US to warn parents to stop using the pushchairs with immediate effect.It has prompted the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the US to warn parents to stop using the pushchairs with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, Maclaren USA is making free hinge covers available in a bid to address the problem.Meanwhile, Maclaren USA is making free hinge covers available in a bid to address the problem.
Potential risk
BBC business reporter Nick Cosgrove says the move in the US is thought to be one of the most sweeping product recalls in history.BBC business reporter Nick Cosgrove says the move in the US is thought to be one of the most sweeping product recalls in history.
But the firm, based at Long Buckby in Northamptonshire, says there are no plans for a recall in the UK and the rest of Europe, following discussions with trading standards officials. Parents' concerns
Northamptonshire's trading standards chief David Hedger says the term actually has a different meaning in the US. But the company said there had not been the same level of concern in the UK and Europe.
"The product recall in the US is to alert people to a potential safety risk and no products are being actually taken back from consumers," he said. Northamptonshire County Council's trading standards department, which covers the company's base, said the firm had only reported one similar case in the UK.
Such a recall in the UK was not a legal requirement for Maclaren because its pushchairs conformed to EU regulations, he added. But the BBC has been contacted by a number of parents who claim their children lost the tips of their fingers when they put their hands in the hinge as the buggy was being folded or unfolded.
Finger caught Daniel Dutton is waiting to see if his operation has been successful
Debbie Bird from online retailer Babyworld is mystified that action is not being taken in the UK. Some said they did not report it at the time as they assumed it was an accident.
She said: "As a retailer selling these products I think we need to know what the problem is in the UK because we will undoubtedly be asked these questions by the people that have bought their products from us. Sarah Dutton's three-year-old son Daniel lost the tip of his finger on 30 October when he got his hand trapped as his stroller was being put up.
"I don't know why Maclaren aren't doing it here. Whether it's because there's less volume or less incidents that are being reported, and they don't feel it's an issue here." It was reattached at hospital, but the family will have to wait three to six weeks to find out whether it has been successful.
Meanwhile, teacher Lara Bond's daughter Jemima had her fingertip cut off when she jumped into a Maclaren Volo as it was being unfolded last year. The finger was re-attached but she has been left with a scar. She said: "We only heard about the recall today. Up until now we have been treating it as an accident, but now we're concerned it could have been a preventable accident.
Her mother told the BBC: "She lost the pad on the top of her finger in the pushchair when it folded on her. "Children do as children do, nothing can be totally accident-proof, but if it could have been a little bit safer, that would have been nice."
It was very unpleasant. There was a lot of blood and a lot of screaming and she was in shock for a while Lara BondMother Teacher Lara Bond's daughter Jemima had her fingertip cut off when she jumped into a Maclaren Volo as it was being unfolded last year. The finger was re-attached but she has been left with a scar.
Mrs Bond told the BBC: "She lost the pad on the top of her finger in the pushchair when it folded on her.
"I was unfolding the pushchair for her to get in and she and her brother, as children are, are impatient."I was unfolding the pushchair for her to get in and she and her brother, as children are, are impatient.
"They tried to get into the pushchair just before I got it down. It folded up and she caught the tip of her finger - luckily not the bone."They tried to get into the pushchair just before I got it down. It folded up and she caught the tip of her finger - luckily not the bone.
"It was very unpleasant. There was a lot of blood and a lot of screaming and she was in shock for a while."It was very unpleasant. There was a lot of blood and a lot of screaming and she was in shock for a while.
"I took the pushchair to the tip the week after because I didn't feel very safe using it with her any more.""I took the pushchair to the tip the week after because I didn't feel very safe using it with her any more."
Global standards 'Keep in perspective'
Maclaren, which started making pushchairs in 1967, says it designs its buggies to "specifically exceed global standards for safety, reliability and durability". Northamptonshire's trading standards chief David Hedger said: "This publicity may generate further issues coming to light and we will keep it under review.
The company said in a statement: "In response to accidents which occurred when buggies were not operated in line with instructions and safety guidelines our US company decided to voluntarily supply kits to cover the elbow joint as a safety measure." "But as this is a matter of one incident in the UK and Maclaren have sold more than one million products in the country, it has to be kept in perspective."
A spokeswoman for Maclaren, which started making pushchairs in 1967, said she did not know the details of the incident in the UK but was not aware of any serious injuries being caused by the firm's products.
So what steps is Maclaren taking in the UK? Well, the company is adding labels warning parents to keep children away from the buggy when it is being folded or unfolded.So what steps is Maclaren taking in the UK? Well, the company is adding labels warning parents to keep children away from the buggy when it is being folded or unfolded.
And the advice from the firm is to "take the same level of caution and care as when opening or closing a car door or any other moving part that can be found in many other baby and toddler products".And the advice from the firm is to "take the same level of caution and care as when opening or closing a car door or any other moving part that can be found in many other baby and toddler products".
It said: "If a buggy is folded or unfolded in line with our operating instructions, the risk of injury is non-existent."
The firm said in the US, the term "product recall" had an entirely different meaning, it is corrective action or the modification of products which can be carried out in the home
It is advising people to watch its safety video, which shows how to safely open and fold an umbrella-fold buggy.
A spokeswoman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "This story should remind people of the need for care in putting them up and down and encourage children not to play with pushchairs."