A series of incidents in the early 1990s - children receiving scratches from broken needles in clothing, a sportsman hurting his foot on a staple buried in a trainer - alerted many retailers to the hidden dangers of metal contamination.
Hence it has become the responsibility of the manufacturers, of textiles, apparel, soft toys and in fact, of any item of sewn product likely to be in next-to-skin contact, to take every precaution to ensure that their products are safe, free from such contamination and not likely to harm the end user in any way. It is therefore in the best interests of all manufacturers to take steps to ensure they have systems and procedures in place to minimise the risks and, in the event of a claim, have the documentation available, to prove they have been diligent in their manufacturing process to the best of their ability.
It is this idea of practising and when required, demonstrating 'due diligence' which drives the needle control and detection policies of most international retailers.
Product liability legislation exists in many countries to protect consumers from unsafe products, and has a very wide scope.
Independent watchdogs such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of serious harm from thousands of types of consumer products. With a particular remit for child safety, they monitor products which may pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard.
Manufacturers of sewn products are already prohibited from using metal accessories containing nickel or lead paint. Fabrics used must meet minimum flammability ratings and children's products must be designed such that nothing can cause choking or strangulation hazard. Sharp objects such as pins, staples and broken needle fragments hidden within, pose one of the most routine risks a supplier must work to eliminate to avoid a product recall.
In forming contracts for the supply of products to them, Retailers will seek to pass down the responsibility for product safety to their suppliers. As part of those contracts, many of the major Retailers have drawn up technical manuals which define not only the physical aspects of the products to be supplied, but also the Product Safety regime under which those products are to be manufactured. As a deterrent against poor performance, and to reduce the cost to the Retailer of consumer claim, the contract may specify that at every incident a fine will be imposed on the manufacturer. The fine can be heavy, and may escalate if the incident results in product recall, reparation payments to the consumers and legal costs.
Manufacturers are likely to hold Product and Public Liability Insurances to cover against claims arising from the consequences of their unsafe products which cause injury to the consumer. Having metal contamination and other quality control measures in place would help to reduce insurance costs as well as prevent such claims from arising in the first place.
In the worst case, Manufacturers who fail to control needle contamination at source and are persistent offenders may find their supply contracts terminated, which will have profound implications for their business.
All reputable retailers conduct detailed factory audits in advance of placing any business with a new vendor. Included in these audits is an assessment of their capability to control metal contamination. Without proper systems in place a vendor is unlikely to win new business nowadays.
To learn more about implementing effective controls against broken needle contamination please download our white paper on the subject.
