WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and four of his colleagues called on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to protect seniors by strengthening safety measures who use adult portable bed rails. Merkley was joined in today’s letter by Senators Sanders (I-VT), Harkin (D-IA), Franken (D-MN), and Blumenthal (D-CT). According to a report by the CPSC, nearly 37,000 people over the last nine years sought treatment due to bed rails injuries and there were 155 deaths involving bed rails, 83% of which were people 60 years or older.
“Given the safety risks posed by portable adult bed rails, we urge you to take both the internal and external steps necessary to address these problems as soon as possible, including the promulgation of safety regulations and public education,” wrote the Senators. “We urge you to use your recall authority to its fullest extent for unsafe products. These are preventable deaths, and we must do what we can to ensure that such tragic deaths are avoided in the future.”
The CPSC took action in February of 2012 to adopt new federal standards to make children’s portable bed rails safer; however, adult bed rails were not included in those new standards. Portable adult bed rails are often purchased at the recommendation of a senior’s physician or caregiver for use at home or in an assisted living facility to prevent falls and keep the individual “safe” in bed. Despite the goal of increased safety, these bed rails sometimes can lead to serious injury and death. Misplacement of the rails or inherent design flaws create gaps between the bed and the rail or within the rail which can lead to entrapment, injury, and suffocation.
Senator Merkley was alerted to the dangers of adult bed rails by Gloria Black, an Oregonian whose mother died from asphyxiation when she fell between her bed and a mattress at an assisted living facility in Vancouver, WA. After her mother’s death, Gloria contacted Senator Merkley’s office who got her in touch with the FDA and CPSC. She then learned that both agencies had known for more than a decade about deaths attributable to portable bed rails but had done little to crack down on companies that manufactured them. The CPSC report is a direct result of Gloria’s persistent quest to raise public awareness of possible bed rail dangers.
Text of the letter from Senators Merkley (D-OR), Sanders (I-VT), Harkin (D-IA), Franken (D-MN), and Blumenthal (D-CT) follows (PDF attached):
February 12, 2013
The Honorable Inez Moore Tenenbaum
Chairman, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20815Dear Chairman Tenenbaum:
We are writing to urge you to take immediate action to address the dangers associated with adult portable bed rails. We request that you consider formulating safety regulations on adult portable bed rails; educate the public and caregivers about possible dangers associated with these products; and, when necessary, exercise your product recall authority to its fullest extent. Following our review of the October 11, 2012 report on bed rail deaths and injuries put out by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), it is clear that the use of portable bed rails can pose a significant hazard which can lead to injury or death.
During the nine year span of the CPSC’s review, nearly 37,000 people sought treatment at hospital emergency rooms due to bed rail injuries. The report cites 155 deaths involving bed rails, and 129 of those who died were 60 years of age or older. Further, your report reveals that entrapment is a grave risk that must be addressed; 93 percent of all reported deaths from bed rails were attributed to entrapment between the bed and the bed rail.
We applaud the CPSC’s action in February 2012 to adopt new federal standards to make children’s portable bed rails safer and for taking action to impose a voluntary recall on specific child bed rails before they caused injury or death. We urge you to consider comparable action with adult bed rails.
Portable adult bed rails are often purchased at the recommendation of a senior’s physician or caregiver for use at home or in an assisted living facility to prevent falls and keep the individual “safe” in bed. Despite the goal of increased safety, we now know these bed rails sometimes can lead to serious injury and death. Misplacement of the rails or inherent design flaws create gaps between the bed and the rail or within the rail which can lead to entrapment, injury, and suffocation.
Given the safety risks posed by portable adult bed rails, we urge you to take both the internal and external steps necessary to address these problems as soon as possible, including the promulgation of safety regulations and public education. We urge you to use your recall authority to its fullest extent for unsafe products. These are preventable deaths, and we must do what we can to ensure that such tragic deaths are avoided in the future. Thank you for your timely attention to this very important matter.
Sincerely,
Merkley
Sanders
Harkin
Franken
Blumenthal
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