Peloton treadmill accidents spark push to change product safety law
A new bill would repeal part of the Consumer Product Safety Act that limits reporting incidents to the public
Share this story
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Congressional Democrats have introduced a bill that would make it easier for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to warn people about unsafe products, by repealing part of a 49-year-old law that limits what information the agency can release publicly.
The Sunshine in Product Safety Act (PDF) comes after reports that exercise machine company Peloton “obstructed CPSC’s investigation” into its Peloton Tread Plus treadmill, according to the members of Congress. The Tread Plus has been involved in some 39 accidents where children were injured, including one death.
Pushing Back Against the CPSC – Is a Mandatory Recall on the Horizon for Peloton s Treadmills? | Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP jdsupra.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jdsupra.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Print
Federal authorities have issued an “urgent warning” that Peloton’s Tread+ treadmill is dangerous and poses a grave risk to households “after multiple incidents of small children and a pet being injured beneath the machines.”
Peloton’s response? The company called the warning from the Consumer Product Safety Commission “inaccurate and misleading,” and told customers “there is no reason to stop using the Tread+.”
Peloton’s chief executive, John Foley, said in a separate statement that the company had “no intention” of recalling the $4,300 treadmill a process that probably would cost the company millions of dollars.
Clearly there’s a lot going on here, and I’m in no position to speak one way or the other about the safety (or lack thereof) of the Tread+.
Urgent Warning Comes After Agency Finds One Death and Dozens of Incidents of Children Being Sucked Beneath the Tread+ (Formerly Known as the Tread) pressreleasepoint.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressreleasepoint.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
KTOY The urgent warning comes less than a month after Peloton itself released news of a child’s death by a Peloton Tread+ and CPSC’s announcement of an investigation into that incident.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about the danger of popular Peloton Tread+ exercise machine after multiple incidents of small children and a pet being injured beneath the machines. The Commission has found that the public health and safety requires this notice to warn the public quickly of the hazard.
The agency is continuing to investigate all known incidents of injury or death related to the Peloton Tread+.