Ikea recalls safety gate after 'children hurt'
Swedish furniture giant Ikea recalled one of its world famous safety gates on Tuesday after reports that several children had been injured falling down stairs.
Ikea said that three reports of recent incidents of fall injuries had prompted the furniture manufacturer to recall two models of its pressure mounted safety gate Patrull.
The company said that the accidents had happened when friction between the wall and the gate had been insufficient to hold the gate in position.
It added that a lower metal bar attached to the gate could pose a trip hazard and advised it should not be installed at the top of stairs. The 'Patrull Klämma' and 'Patrull Smidig' safety gates, which have been sold by Ikea since 1995, are only meant to be used in doorways or at the bottom of a staircase, it said.
"We urge customers not to use the gate at the top of a staircase, where the risk of falling is greater," Ikea press spokeswoman Daniela Rogosic told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
The Patrull safety gate, which has been recalled. Photo: Ikea
Founded by Swedish businessman Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, the Swedish furniture giant today owns 315 stores in 27 countries. In 2014 its total revenue reached 29.3 billion euros ($33bn, 273bn SEK).
But it is not the first time the multinational corporation has been landed in hot water over some of its products.
Earlier this year, the company recalled 169,000 of its Vyssa crib mattresses in the United States, after reports that two children became trapped between the mattress and the bed frame.
In October 2014, Ikea pulled two different types of elk-shaped pasta from its stores in Sweden, after worries they could contain soy, an ingredient that was not listed on the pasta packets.
And just a year ago it urged parents to stop using its children's wall mounted lamps after fears the cords could present a strangulation hazard to their little ones.
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Ikea said that three reports of recent incidents of fall injuries had prompted the furniture manufacturer to recall two models of its pressure mounted safety gate Patrull.
The company said that the accidents had happened when friction between the wall and the gate had been insufficient to hold the gate in position.
It added that a lower metal bar attached to the gate could pose a trip hazard and advised it should not be installed at the top of stairs. The 'Patrull Klämma' and 'Patrull Smidig' safety gates, which have been sold by Ikea since 1995, are only meant to be used in doorways or at the bottom of a staircase, it said.
"We urge customers not to use the gate at the top of a staircase, where the risk of falling is greater," Ikea press spokeswoman Daniela Rogosic told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
The Patrull safety gate, which has been recalled. Photo: Ikea
Founded by Swedish businessman Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, the Swedish furniture giant today owns 315 stores in 27 countries. In 2014 its total revenue reached 29.3 billion euros ($33bn, 273bn SEK).
But it is not the first time the multinational corporation has been landed in hot water over some of its products.
Earlier this year, the company recalled 169,000 of its Vyssa crib mattresses in the United States, after reports that two children became trapped between the mattress and the bed frame.
In October 2014, Ikea pulled two different types of elk-shaped pasta from its stores in Sweden, after worries they could contain soy, an ingredient that was not listed on the pasta packets.
And just a year ago it urged parents to stop using its children's wall mounted lamps after fears the cords could present a strangulation hazard to their little ones.
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