The Recall Desk
Our severity:CriticalCPSC·97193·Announced 1997-09-24

Recall of Wooden and Metal Bunk Beds Due to Entrapment Hazard

Five manufacturers are recalling about 16,500 bunk beds because openings on the top bunk can entrap young children's heads.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 5/5 (Critical).

Highest-severity recall. The hazard can cause serious injury or death. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly reports fatalities, including a specific death on April 24, 1997, and historical reports of 40 child deaths related to similar bunk bed entrapment hazards.

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and five manufacturers and importers are voluntarily recalling approximately 16,500 wooden and metal bunk beds. The affected products include models from Heartland Furniture, Kidron Woodcraft, Rosalco, Springhill Woodcrafters, and Temple Pine Furniture. These beds have openings on the top bunk that present a potential entrapment hazard to young children, as the spaces can be large enough for a child's body to pass through but small enough to trap their head.

Since 1990, CPSC has received reports of 35 children who died from becoming caught in the top of wooden bunk beds and five children who died from becoming caught in the top of metal bunk beds. A specific death occurred on April 24, 1997, involving a 3-year-old girl caught in a Heartland Furniture wooden bunk bed. CPSC is not aware of additional deaths related to the other manufacturers participating in this specific recall.

Consumers should stop using the recalled beds immediately. They should call the company or contact the retailer for a replacement guardrail, retrofit kit, or instructions to eliminate the hazard. If the manufacturer is out of business or a remedy cannot be provided, consumers should discard or destroy the product. Questions can be directed to the CPSC Hotline at (800) 638-2772.

The recalled product

Product
Heartland Furn. Wooden Bunk Beds
Manufacturer
Heartland Furniture
Category
Consumer Product — Furniture
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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