On August 24, industry supplier Molenaar LLC, Willmar, Minn., talked with Promo Marketing about a voluntary product recall it had issued the day prior. The recall was for two specific models of electroluminescent night lights that the company had manufactured and distributed from 2005 to 2009. The recall is active in Canada only, and is the result of four incidents of minor smoking and property damage reported to the Electrical Safety Authority of Ontario (ESA). Molenaar LLC and Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the company that handles safety testing and certification for all of Molenaar LLC’s electrical products, have contacted the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and provided them with the necessary information and written planning for an American recall, but as of August 24, are waiting for the organization to respond. “We are bound by the regulatory agency CPSC to use their terms for a recall in the United States. In that regard, we must wait for their approval,” said Steve Meyer, vice president of sales for Molenaar LLC.
The lights in question can be identified by their model numbers, 2017 (a rectangle) and 2019 (house-shaped), as well as the engraving “71980 U.S.A,” which is engraved directly on the light’s back. Further information on identifying the lights, including images of what they look like, can be found on the official ESA recall notice, which is available on Molenaar LLC’s website. No personal injuries occurred through the reported malfunctions, and both models of night light have been discontinued by Molenaar since November of 2009.
The recall is labeled as voluntary because the ESA considers the electrical flaw to be of “indeterminable cause,” meaning no clear fault could be found in Molenaar LLC’s manufacturing process and materials used for the lights. “The only way our testing lab UL was able to duplicate the melting was by soaking it in water then plugging it into an outlet,” said Brett Franks, project manager for Wilson Tool, Molenaar LLC’s parent company. “The incident that was reported to the ESA was in a bathroom, so we are unsure if it came in contact with water or any other substance. We have been unable to, through rigorous testing, find anything in the manufacturing or materials of the night light itself that is faulty,” said Franks.
Molenaar LLC’s recall efforts have included a mass press release to 693 Canadian news organizations and reporting firms, a direct mail campaign to distributors who had purchased the lights, as well as a Canadian multi-line rep who is reaching out to purchasers. “The distributors are urged to conduct a mini-recall plan of their own by contacting their buyer, and working out a plan between those two with our assistance,” said Franks.
“Our concern is obviously individual safety,” said Meyer. “We want to work with the Electrical Safety Authority of Ontario, and we have done so in the best interest of getting these lights taken out of outlets and disposed of by the environmental standards of whatever province they happen to be in.”
To comply with the recall, distributors or end-users involved are to dispose of the lights themselves. Meyer stated that at this point there are no plans for refunds or replacement products, though he noted that requests otherwise would gladly be considered on a case-by-case basis via [email protected].
For further information, visit www.miline.com or contact:
Brett Franks
(800) 328-8944
601 Industrial Drive SW
PO Box 777
Willmar, Minnesota USA 56201
[email protected]
