RECALL NOTICES
Manufacturers issue Official Recall Notices to alert product owners
and users to unsafe, hazardous or defective products. Recall information
is communicated by mail, the media and word of mouth.
How did you react to the latest recall information you received on
a product you either own or use? Do you recall ?(yes, pun intended)
Was your reaction, “Yeah, yeah, yeah – what are they recalling
now?”
You should realize that failing to promptly take the recommended action
can be dangerous and can needlessly put people and property at risk.
In some situations it can even become a liability issue for you personally.
How does this pertain to State government and you? The State owns thousands
of vehicles, hundreds of boats and millions of dollars worth of assets
– any of which can be affected by a product recall. For example,
here are some recalls issued in August of 2006:
* Faulty pumps for fire suppression systems
* Vessel fuel tanks
* Laptop computer batteries
* Floor cleaner and stripper products
* Certain food products
* Vehicle, tire and car seats
Each and every one of these recalls could potentially relate to a product
owned, used or consumed by the State or by you. Complicating the recall
process are the thousands of employees in State government. As you can
imagine, getting the word out to each and every product user is difficult.
If you get word of a recall, be sure to take approriate action and not
leave the recall for the next person to act on it.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Before the purchase:
* Avoid no-name products, commonly found in dollar and discount stores.
A manufacturer name and address is not a guarantee of safety, but it
means that you or the authorities can track down a legitimate corporation
to remedy problems.
* Check the warning label. Be cautious of products where the label conflicts
with information elsewhere on the packaging.
* Be cautious of extraordinary bargains. Products that are far less
expensive than comparable products sold elsewhere could be cheap because
they are counterfeit made with inferior or inappropriate material or
are otherwise defective.
* If you shop at yard sales or thrift stores, check to see that your
purchases, especially electrical appliances, children’s toys,
car seats or furniture haven’t been recalled.
* Buy only certified electrical products. Underwriters Laboratories
marks must generally be tagged or embossed right on the product.
* Don’t overlook permanently installed products. For example,
counterfeit circuit breakers, part of a structure’s infrastructure,
are a growing problem, experts say. Buying such products through an
authorized dealer is one way to minimize the risk.
After the purchase
* Promptly complete the warranty card and mail it in. Should a recall
be issued on that product, this will improve your chances of directly
receiving the notice.
* When notified of a recall issue by a State program manager, promptly
take the recommended action. Central Fleet Management tells our office
that letters notifying drivers of vehicle recall issues are routinely
ignored and multiple follow ups are required on their part. Don’t
be guilty of this and add to the problem. Getting recalled parts replaced
will keep your vehicle in the best and safest working condition. It is
your responsibility as a State driver!
* Report a problem product - you may not be alone in having a problem.
Early warning on unsafe products is important and may eventually lead
to an official recall.
* For the very latest product safety recall information, visit
www.Recalls.gov.
Make it a point to periodically check this site. To better alert the American
people to recalls, six federal agencies with vastly different jurisdictions
have joined together to create this web site – a “one stop
shop” for recalls. These six agencies are: the U.S. Consumer Product
Commission, the National Highway Traffic safety Administration, the United
States Coast Guard, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
It is an unsafe world we live in. Manage the risks that you CAN control.
Recalls are one of these manageable risks.
