CPSC, The Lane Furniture Company Announce Recall for In-Home Replacement of Locks on Cedar Chests

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), The Lane Company of Altavista, Va., is announcing a voluntary program to replace the locks on cedar chests manufactured prior to 1987. The Lane Company manufactured approximately 12 million cedar chests from 1912 to 1987 that latch automatically when the lid is closed. Young children playing in the chest can become trapped inside and suffocate.

Between 1977 and 1994, six children suffocated inside Lane cedar chests manufactured with an old design lock. The victims ranged in age from 21 months to ten years old.

Consumers can determine whether their chest has an old lock by closing the chest lid without depressing the locking button and then attempting to open the lid without touching the button. If the lid opens, the chest has the new lock and does not need to be replaced. If the lid does not open, it has the old lock. Additionally, old locks click loudly when the lid is shut, locking the chest automatically.

Furniture stores sold the chests nationwide in a variety of styles, sizes, and colors between 1912 and 1987. Some of the chests may have been handed down through families. By 1987, The Lane Company began manufacturing all of its cedar chests with redesigned locks, which do not need to be replaced.

Consumers who own Lane cedar chests with old locks should call The Lane Company toll-free at (888) 856-8758 for free, redesigned, easy to install safety locks. Lane will make special arrangements for consumers who need additional help installing the locks.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from the unreasonable risk of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury and for information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To order a press release through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can report product hazards to info@cpsc.gov.

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