NPW Group, a “lifestyle and gifting brand,” has been ordered to recall a Halloween Projector Flashlight due to potential safety concerns attributed to the product. Offered exclusively at Target, the flashlight has been proven to overheat, leading to smoke and fire and already resulting in cases of injury.
“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled flashlights and return them to any Target store for a full refund,” the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states. “Consumers should turn off the product, remove the batteries, mark the product with ‘recalled’ in permanent marker prior to returning the flashlight to Target. Target is contacting all known purchasers directly.”
- The CPSC has received nine reports of the product dangerously overheating, including multiple cases of consumers receiving minor burn injuries as a result.
- Just under 5,000 units of the product have been recalled.
Promo Perspective
While NPW Group is not a promotional products firm, a quick search through SAGE’s product database will reveal products that have commonalities with the Halloween flashlight currently being recalled.
- It is imperative that promo firms strictly adhere to compliance, not only for the sake of the law, but to ensure the safety of end users.
- A product, especially a holiday-themed one, can end up in the hands of children.
“Even if children aren’t your intended end users, it’s important to consider whether a product might appeal to or ultimately be used by children and look for the appropriate safety measures, like testing and labeling,” says Rachel Zoch, PPAI’s public affairs manager and research editor.
- The Children’s Product Certificate is issued by the importer or manufacturer certifying that the product is compliant with all Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act requirements as verified by third-party testing.
Last month, at PPAI’s Product Responsibility Summit, a panel was held discussing how to handle the possibility of being ordered to recall a product and the steps that need to be taken. In that situation, complying with the CPSC is absolutely critical, but the next priority is being intentional with messaging surrounding the recall.
“It’s important to move fast, but it’s also important to move smartly,” said Neal Cohen of Neal Cohen Law.
“You need to control everything, especially what the person says,” added Rick Brenner, president of Product Safety Advisors. “Yes, you want to be empathetic and show concern, [but] there should be a very disciplined and scripted response of what they can say, and the escalation process of who does what next.”