CPSC Halts Sale of P&M Electric Worm Probes Due to Electrocution Risk

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has determined that the "Worm Gett'rs" electric worm probes, manufactured by P&M Enterprises of Caldwell, Idaho, present an electrocution hazard. In a decision issued on July 17, 1991, the Commission unanimously upheld a ruling that the product is defective and may no longer be produced, offered for sale, distributed, or imported into the United States.

The product is designed to shock worms out of the ground by drawing full line voltage (110-120 volts) to its bare metal shafts. The CPSC found that consumers could be shocked or electrocuted by touching the exposed shafts or by contacting the ground in the vicinity of the probe. The Commission noted that 28 persons, most of them children, have died using functionally equivalent worm probes.

Because the owners of P&M Enterprises declared bankruptcy and lacked the resources to conduct a recall campaign, the Commission did not require the firm to recall the hazardous probes. Instead, the agency directed its staff to work with P&M to notify the public of the hazard and warn consumers against further use of the worm probe.

The recalled product

Product

Worm Gett'rs electric worm probes

Manufacturer

P&M Enterprises

Category

Consumer Product — Garden Tools

Hazard

• electrocution
• electric-shock

Distribution

Related recalls