Five people have been partially blinded by a nail gun that fires unexpectedly and a home in Ohio was badly damaged in a fire caused by a faulty fireplace remote control in incidents related to recent recalls.
Hitachi Koki has recalled
65,000 coil nailers with faulty feeders that can allow nails to be ejected sideways.The company has received 37 reports of nails being ejected sideways, including 15 reports of injuries. The injuries were primarily in the eye region, including the five reports of partial blindness.
Coil nailers are used to project nails into drywall, wood or other materials. The recalled units were manufactured between October 2002 and September 2005 and sold until March 2006 at Lowe's, Home Depot, home improvement and building supply stores and online at Amazon.com. See the
recall notice for information on how to identify the recalled models as well as how to get the repair the company is offering.
Fireplace remote controls Dimplex North America is recalling
700,000 fireplace remote control kits because the plug-in wall unit can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard. The company has received 5,000 reports of the plug-in wall units overheating, including 19 of damage beyond the remote control and the report of the house fire in Columbus, Ohio that resulted in considerable property damage.
We're wondering why it took 5,000 reports to get this item recalled.
The remotes were used with Dimplex, Electraflame, Symphony, Optiflame, Electralog and Charmglow brand electric fireplaces, stoves and fireplace inserts. They were sold with the fireplaces and stoves between January 1998 and December 2008. Consumers are advised to stop using them and to plug the fireplace directly into the wall outlet instead of the remote's wall unit. Model numbers and replacement information are on the
recall notice.
Voltage detectors Lastly, the CPSC announced the recall of
33,000 voltage detectors because they fail to do just that. The recall notice says: "The testers can fail to give an indication of live voltage, resulting in the operator falsely believing the electrical power is off, posing a risk of serious injury or death from electrical shock or thermal burns." Fortunately, there have been no reported incidents.
The testers were on the market for six months, ending last month. The maker, aptly named Fluke, is offering a free replacement. Check the
recall notice for details.
