Senator Fuschillo Applauds Federal Government’s Plans to Ban Drop-Side Cribs

Federal Guidelines Would Mirror Proposed New York State Law Sponsored by Senator Fuschillo 

            New York State Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick) today applauded the federal government for pledging to ban the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs, which have been linked to numerous infant deaths and injuries, including on Long Island. 

            Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairperson Inez Tenenbaum has pledged to ban the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs by the end of the year. Performance standards would be changed to make fixed-side cribs mandatory. The federal guidelines mirror legislation Senator Fuschillo is sponsoring in the State Senate to ban the sale, import, manufacture, and distribution of drop-side cribs and other cribs deemed unsafe by the CPSC throughout New York State.  Senator Fuschillo is sponsoring the legislation with Senators Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and Stephen Saland (R-Poughkeepsie). 

            Senator Fuschillo said, “Children’s products that can kill or injure a child need to be removed from the marketplace. We’ve seen time and time again that these cribs can pose serious risk of injury or death to children. I am pleased that the federal government is taking action to get these potentially dangerous products off store shelves. I urge them to implement these new safety regulations as quickly as possible. I will continue to fight for enactment of crib safety legislation in New York State.” 

According to the CPSC, the hardware on a drop-side crib can often break or malfunction, causing the drop-side to detach and create a space between the drop-side and crib mattress. Infants and toddlers can roll into this space and become entrapped and suffocate, or sustain serious injury if the drop-side detaches completely. Safety concerns have led to millions of cribs being taken out of circulation through CPSC product recalls.            

            Senator Fuschillo sponsored a public forum on drop-side crib safety in February to seek input on a proposed statewide ban of drop-side cribs. Two Long Island families who lost children to drop-side cribs, Michele & Henning Witte of Merrick and Susan & Robert Cirigliano of North Bellmore, testified about their experiences and have been continuing to work with Senator Fuschillo on the issue.                   

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