If you know of a senior, or anyone who might be using and adult portable bed handle, federal regulators are urging you to take action to keep them safe.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is re-announcing the voluntary recall of about 113,000 adult portable bed handles, from the company Bed Handles Inc. of Blue Springs, Missouri.
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If you don't use a safety retention strap with the handles, the handle can shift out of place creating a dangerous gap between the bed handle and the side of the mattress. The deaths of three women have been linked to this problem after they became trapped in the area between the mattress and the bed handles.
The recall was first issued in May of 2014, but federal regulators say less than 1% of the owners have responded to the recall and obtained the safety straps needed to keep people safe. They say that response rate is dangerously low. They say these handles could be in homes, nursing facilities, or centers that care for the disabled. If you know anyone who might be using these handles, take steps to warn them or the people responsible for their care.
If you find someone using the handles without the straps, they should stop using them immediately.
Product Information
The recall involves adult portable bed handles sold by Bed Handles, Inc. from 1994 through 2007 that do not have safety retention straps to secure the bed handle to the bed frame to keep the bed handle from shifting out of place and creating a dangerous gap. Recalled models include the Original Bedside Assistant® (BA10W), the Travel Handles™ (BA11W) which is sold as a set of two bed handles, and the Adjustable Bedside Assistant® (AJ1).
The L-shaped bed handles are made out of ¾ inch tubular steel, measure 20 inches wide, 16 to 20 inches tall and have 3 ft. poles that extend under the mattress. The Original Bedside Assistant® (BA10W) and the Travel Handles™ (BA11W) have a white handle with white poles that go under the mattress. The Adjustable Bedside Assistant® (AJ1) is gold in color and has a black cushioned foam handle. The bed handles are intended to assist adults with getting in and out of bed by giving them a bar to grip. Bed Handles, Inc. and the model number are printed on a white label on the bed handles.
They were sold by home health care stores, drug stores and medical equipment stores nationwide and in home and health care catalogs from January 1994 through December 2007 for about $100. They were manufactured in the United States.
What To Do
Consumers should immediately stop using all recalled bed handles that were sold without safety retention straps. Contact Bed Handles, Inc. for free safety retention straps to secure the bed handle to the bed frame, new assembly and installation instructions for models BA10W, BA11W and AJ1 and a warning label to attach to the bed handles. The bed handles should be used only with the safety retention straps securely in place attaching the bed handle to the bed frame in order to prevent a gap.
Contact Bed Handles Inc. at 800-725-6903 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or online here.