The idea of swinging furniture is a soothing one: you climb in, set yourself to rocking, and away you go, blissfully swaying on a wave of relaxation. Unless, that is, the chair dumps you unceremoniously on the ground in the middle of your veg-out session. That’s why Pier 1 Imports is calling back 276,000 swinging chairs and stands, which can become unstable and lead to folks falling on their backsides. [More]
safety
University Ripped For Pushing Chocolate Milk As Concussion Treatment
By 1.11.16
A University of Maryland program that “promotes the development and commercialization of products and processes through industry/university research partnerships,” is being criticized for not just declaring that a particular brand of chocolate milk can improve cognitive skills of athletes who suffered a concussion, but for making that declaration without releasing any data to back it up. [More]
Looking Ahead: 5 Big Issues To Follow For 2016
By 1.1.16
Now that 2015 is done and we finally learned that Luke Skywalker is actually Faye Dunaway’s daughter (and sister!), it’s time to take off the party hats, sweep up the confetti, and do the walk of shame forward into the uncharted territory of the year to come. [More]
Take Your Christmas Tree Down Before It Burns Your $#&^! House Down
By 12.30.15
In the weeks leading up to Dec. 25, you were probably pretty good about keeping your Christmas tree watered, hoping to maintain the lush greenness you paid for. But now that you’re in that post-Yule, pre-New Year’s limbo and just haven’t gotten around to ditching the tree on your neighbor’s curb, you might have forgotten to add water to that doomed tree. If so, you could be risking a disastrous and potentially deadly fire. [More]
New York Lawmakers Call For Legalizing “Hoverboards” As One Explodes In Brooklyn Apartment
By 12.30.15
So-called “hoverboards,” which don’t actually hover, are illegal to use on the streets of New York City. Two lawmakers are trying to change that, but their timing couldn’t be worse, as one of the self-balancing scooters caught fire in a Brooklyn apartment Tuesday. [More]
Hoverboard Catches Fire At Texas Mall, Federal Safety Officials Record 22 Explosions In 17 States
By 12.29.15
Even as the holidays wind down, so-called “hoverboards” continue to be a hot ticket at retailers and shopping malls around the country. One such busy mall happened to be in Texas where a self-balancing scooter caught fire, marking it just one of dozens of fires reported to federal safety officials in recent months. [More]
Yet Another “Hoverboard” Catches Fire While Charging, Singes Carpet In New Jersey Home
By 12.28.15
As expected, so-called “hoverboards” – that don’t actually hover at all – were a hot commodity under the Christmas tree. But for one New Jersey family, the holiday gift quickly turned from exciting new device to dangerous fire-starter after it burst into flames while charging. [More]
CPSC Intensifies Investigation Into Exploding “Hoverboards,” USPS Restricts Shipments
By 12.17.15
One of the holiday’s hottest gifts has gotten a bit too hot, literally. Following claims that so-called “hoverboard” scooters have caught fire while charging, retailers have pulled the popular devices to ensure they’re safe. In the meantime, the country’s top product safety regulator says his agency is working “non-stop” to find the root cause for the fire hazards linked to the self-balancing scooters. [More]
10+ Things Consumers Should Know About The New Federal Spending Bill
By 12.16.15
This morning, after months of slapping on, then removing, then replacing pork barrel riders on the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, we finally know exactly which add-ons made it into the omnibus spending bill and which ones didn’t. [More]
1.5M Bottles Of Sweet Leaf Tea Recalled Over Glass Fragments
By 12.10.15
Some days you just don’t want water or a soda to go with your lunch, so instead you pick up a bottle of something a little sweeter. But if that something else happens to be Sweet Leaf Tea, it might contain an extra ingredient: glass fragments. [More]
MLB Commissioner Asks All Teams To Extend Safety Nets
By 12.9.15
Following a high-profile lawsuit alleging that Major League Baseball and team owners had been putting fans at risk by not extending safety net coverage all the way from home plate to the foul poles, the league’s commissioner is now calling on all 30 teams to increase the netting, but nowhere near as far as the foul poles. [More]
Before You Use “Star Shower” To Light Up Your Home For Xmas, Familiarize Yourself With Your Local Airport’s Flight Path
By 12.9.15 — Updated: 12.12.16
We’ve written before about jerks who deliberately point lasers at nearby planes, and we’ve also covered businesses that don’t realize that their rooftop light shows might present a hazard, but now some homeowners may be unintentionally blinding pilots by misusing their home decorations. [More]
Dodge Recalls More Than 121,000 Darts Over Brake System Issue
By 12.4.15
Brakes are meant to slow, stop or keep a vehicle from moving when the driver doesn’t want it to, making them an integral part of the automobile. So when there’s a problem with the system, that’s a pretty big deal. And for that reason, Fiat Chrysler issued a recall for more than 121,000 vehicles. [More]
Home Depot Continued To Sell 28 Products After Safety Recalls
By 11.19.15
When a product is recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, it becomes illegal for a retailer to continue to sell that item. But Home Depot apparently wasn’t following that rule for the past three years, selling 28 different products after they were recalled. [More]
Kia Recalling 256K Soul Compact SUVs Over Possible Steering Failure
By 11.13.15
Cars will take you wherever you want to go — that is, if you can point them in the right direction. That’s why steering is so important, and why Kia Motors is recalling more than 256,000 Soul compact SUVs in the United States, over concern that defective glue could make the steering system fall apart. [More]
Mercedes Recalls More Than 126,000 Vehicles Because Airbags Should Deploy In A Crash
By 11.5.15
Typically airbags deploy in the event of a crash and stay in their place when the vehicle is operating normally. But that’s apparently not the way it works for some Mercedes-Benz vehicles now being recalled. [More]
EPA May Finally Ban Toxic Pesticide For Food Use
By 10.30.15
A federal agency entrusted with protecting the health of Americans has finally gotten around to doing the job it’s paid to do by taxpayers. And once again, the only reason this agency is doing anything is because a court has ordered it to. [More]
GM To Owners Of 1.4M Recalled Vehicles: Don’t Park In A Garage For Now
By 10.30.15
Earlier this week, General Motors issued a recall of 1.4 million vehicles over concerns about a potential fire risk. Today, the beleaguered carmaker is telling owners of those cars to not park them in garages until the problem is repaired. [More]
