Ross Stores (Pleasanton, Calif.) has been fined $3.9 million for selling defective children’s clothing.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission took action after the discount department store failed to report that it was still keeping in stock children’s jackets and sweatshirts that had drawstrings at the neck or around the waist.
The company had previously paid a $500,000 fine after being warned that the clothes could cause injuries or deaths.
The commission said the current penalty is the second-largest in its history.
“Companies should know that there are serious consequences for not telling CPSC about a product that can put a child in harm’s way,” said commission chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “Ross is being held accountable for not following the law and for not complying with a federal standard that is child-protective.”
In agreeing to the settlement, Ross denied that it knowingly failed to inform the commission about the clothes. The store has agreed to create a compliance plan to keep similar incidents from happening.
Ross spokeswoman Connie Wong said, “Ross Stores has a deep commitment to customer safety in all that we do. We cooperated fully with the CPSC on this matter and did not knowingly violate any laws, rules or regulations.”
The commission said it warned clothing stores as far back as 1996, after the deaths of several children, that children’s clothing with the drawstrings were defective and present a substantial risk of injury to young children.
One child died after a drawstring got caught on a playground slide. Another died after a drawstring was caught in a school bus door and the child was dragged to death. The commission said that since 1985 it has received reports of 84 injuries to children, including 26 who died, after the drawstrings on their clothing got stuck. The agency said there were no reported injuries or deaths from the Ross clothing sales.