PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — One of this year’s most popular gifts is once again in the hot seat as a federal agency investigates how safe they are.
The head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says consumers want and deserve answers about the safety of hoverboards. With numerous reports of fires and injuries recently, consumers need to know whether the product they purchased is safe.
CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye has directed his agency to work “non-stop” to find the root cause of the fire hazard and determine how much of a risk it might present to users. The agency has purchased new hoverboards and taken possession of others that have caught fire and engineers are now testing them.
While the fire hazard has generated significant attention, the CPSC also did not want to downplay the fall hazard. The agency has received dozens of reports from emergency rooms of serious injuries including concussions, fractures, cuts and internal organ injuries.
Currently, there are no safety hazards in place for hoverboards.
In response to two child deaths, Ace Bayou is reissuing the recall of 2 million beanbag chairs due to the low rate of consumer response. Only 790 consumers have responded to the recall, according to the CPSC.
The zippers on the beanbag chairs can be opened by children, who could then crawl inside and suffocate or choke on the foam beads.
The CPSC is extremely concerned that these recalled beanbags are continuing to be used by children. The agency is urging consumers to install the free repair kit to permanently disable the chair’s zipper.
