NITE Alert_59
April 16, 2003
Alert - Accidents with side rails on electric beds
The National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) has received information of a fatal accident involving a removable side rail (hereafter referred as “side rail") fitted on an electric medical/nursing bed as protection for falling. In order to prevent any recurrence, this alert has been issued to provide details of the accident and draw consumer's attention to this matter, and provide information on manufacturers' response to the accident.
1. Outline of accident
An accident occurred in which a user died of suffocation after the neck was entrapped between a side rail and the bed board of an electric bed. The accident occurred when the remote control automatically switched on to lift the backrest while the user's upper body was in-between the side rail which was inserted on a side of the electric bed.
2. Measures taken on the product
The manufacturer is to alert consumers via their website as well as dealerships with regards to side rails that can catch body parts and cause serious accidents, and will recall the relevant side rails and replace them with a product less likely to catch body parts.
The electric bed that caused the accident is the "91 high-low two motor bed" named "Liberty" manufactured by Lundal Corporation. The Model codes for the side rails to be recalled are indicated in the chart below.
The designs of the recalled side rails and the replacement side rails are shown in the picture below. If you are using the recalled models or have any questions about the manufacturer's response, contact the manufacturer or retailer where you purchased the product.
| Model | Shipping period | Manufacturer and contact |
|---|---|---|
| A-0942 | From August 1991 to June 1998 | Lundal Corporation
|
| A-0950 |
Rough sketch of side rails
Design of recalled side rail
Design of replacement side rail
Fore more information;
National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE)
Product Safety Technology Center, Product Safety Investigation Division
Contact us
- Consumer Product Safety Public Relations Division Product Safety Technology Center National Institute of Technology and Evaluation
-
Phone number:+81-6-6612-2066
Fax number:+81-6-6612-1617
Address:1-22-16 Nankokita, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 5590034, Japan MAP