CPSC Fines Kansas Firm $100,000
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced today that TAP Enterprises Inc., of Springhill, Kan., has agreed to pay a $100,000 civil penalty for failing to report to the government in a timely manner about defective air compressors.
In October 2004, TAP first learned of an incident involving a fire caused by the Mini 2-Gallon Pancake air compressor, which resulted in $30,000 in property damage. By September 2005, TAP Enterprises had received another report of smoke coming out of the air compressor and a number of warranty claims.
In April 2006, CPSC and Tap Enterprises announced the recall of 11,300 Mini 2-Gallon Pancake Compressors and recommended that consumers stop using the product immediately. CPSC determined that TAP, doing business as Cummins Industrial Tools, did not report any of these incidents to them in a timely and thorough manner.
Federal law requires firms to report to CPSC within 24 hours after obtaining information reasonably supporting the conclusion that a product contains a defect which could create a substantial risk of injury to the public, presents an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death, or violates a federal safety standard.
Consumers can still contact Cummins at 800-445-0089 for a refund of the purchase price including shipping, or log on to www.cumminstools.com.