By the end of January, the Alliance4Safety had mailed over 1,000 replacement tip kits to consumers who requested them as part of the New Age Tip Restraint recall announced on January 11.
The recalled tip restraint kits include a plastic zip tie, two brackets and two screws in a white plastic package attached to clothing storage units manufactured in Vietnam and sold in U.S. stores and online since November 2019. Alliance4Safety, an educational resource created by AHFA in 2020, is administering the recall on behalf of the participating companies and brands.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the plastic zip tie within the recalled furniture tip restraint kits can become brittle or break, which can allow a clothing storage unit that is anchored to the wall to detach. This poses a furniture tip-over hazard that can result in death or serious injury to children.
The CPSC said furniture companies have received two reports of New Age tip restraints breaking with no reported injuries.
The CPSC recall notice advised consumers to go to the Alliance4Safety website if they had a recalled New Age tip restraint kit they wanted to replace. The notice also provided an Alliance4Safety toll-free telephone number and an email address.
Emailed requests from consumers were received within hours of the CPSC recall announcement. Consumers can request up to 5 replacement tip restraint kits at a time.
Most media coverage of the recall occurred within the first three days, primarily on local television and radio stations. An estimated 200 million consumers were reached, with the largest outlets being USA Today (73 million), Yahoo News (59 million) and Consumer Reports (12 million).
Alliance4Safety is supplying replacement tip restraint kits for consumers only. Retailers and distributors requiring replacements must contact their suppliers.