The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said eight firms, including Life is Good and Gildan Activewear, agreed to pay a total of $320,000 to settle allegations that they failed to report to the CPSC that their children's hooded sweatshirts or jackets were sold with drawstrings at the hood and neck.
In separate agreements, Gildan agreed to pay a civil penalty of $35,000 and Life is Good agreed to pay $50,000. Other companies fined were True Religion, Kohl's, Neiman Marcus, The Cayre Group, DollarDays International and Seena International.
In agreeing to settle the matters, the firms deny CPSC's allegations that they knowingly violated the law.
The recalls were not associated with any reports of injuries. However, accidents involving drawstrings have occurred in the past. From January 1985 to January 1999, the CPSC received reports of 22 deaths and 48 incidents in which children's hood and waist drawstrings became entangled on playground equipment, cribs and other items. In a New York incident, a 14-year-old died when a drawstring caught on a bus handrail and she was dragged under the bus and run over.
The fines follow a recent series of drawstring-related recalls. Since April 1, 2007, there have been 18 recalls of more than 190,000 units of children's clothing that had strings around the neck or waist.
