Molenaar and CPSC Recall Folding Step Stools

Promotional products supplier Molenaar has issued a voluntary recall of one of its products in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Willmar, Minnesota-based supplier is recalling approximately 3,700 of its Folding Step Stools.

According to the CPSC's release, the stools can break or collapse while in use, although there have been no reported injures or incidents of product failure. Steve Meyer, MAS, vice president of sales at Molenaar, explained to Promo Marketing what led to today's recall.

"In the first week of May we learned of a retail product recall that the CPSC was performing with a retailer named Kennedy International," he explained. "Their step stool looked very similar to ours, and we thought at that time we might get some phone calls due to the similarity in appearance, so we ran some tests."

Molenaar had already tested the products and confirmed that they met European standards for step stools, but "there were no American standards that we could find," Meyer said. "We started doing impact testing on it and that is when we found we had a problem."

"At that point, we contacted anyone whom we had information on as far as orders and samples," he continued. "Since about the middle of May we've been asking our people to send those back. We also informed the CPSC, because you have a legal obligation when there's a problem with a product. It's taken them from that point until today to send that notice out ... and in the meantime, a majority of the stools are already back in our possession and are being destroyed."

Meyer said that they had not received any reports of broken products or of injuries, and that most of their distributors had been very understanding about the process. "To our knowledge, there have been no falls and no injuries," he said. "Nothing has happened other than the recall of a similar product in the retail marketplace."

The plastic Folding Step Stools are 13" high, feature a single step, have a carrying handle, and are beige with a brown top. The products were made in China and were available between March and May 2012.

Consumers with the Folding Step Stools are advised to immediate cease use of the items and return them to the companies printed on them. Distributors that sold the item are advised to contact Molenaar at (877) 719-4442 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visit www.miline.com.

For more information on the recall, visit the CPSC's website.