CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION AND ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION ISSUE ALERT ON CORDLESS TELEPHONES: SAFETY ALERT
Consumer Product Safety Commission
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION AND ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES
ASSOCIATION ISSUE ALERT ON CORDLESS TELEPHONES: SAFETY ALERT
CPSC Document #5023
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the
Electronic Industries Association (EIA), recently issued a joint
consumer alert urging owners of "cordless" or portable telephones
to exercise caution when using the product. Cordless telephones
offer the user the convenience of placing or receiving calls in
their home or in the immediate vicinity outside their home. The
CPSC and EIA, however, caution users always to place the phone in
the talk position before moving the telephone to their ear.
Otherwise, they may be exposed to a loud and possibly painful
ring.
Since December 1982, the CPSC has received over 20 consumer
complaints about the loud sound which is made when the telephone
rings or when someone near the base station of these telephones
presses the intercom or page button while the handset is close to
the user's ear.
Several of these complaints, including some from physicians,
claim that some loss of hearing has resulted from the loudness of
the ring.
Currently most cordless telephones are designed so that the
ring or page signal comes through the ear-phone of the unit.
From the information provided in the complaints it is clear that
the users were not expecting their telephone to ring and had
placed it against or near their ear without placing the phone in
the talk position. In at least one case the user was preparing
to place a call when the phone rang unexpectedly. Some users
have encountered unexpected ringing of the cordless telephone
while they were first learning to use it or while the telephone
was being used by someone otherwise unfamiliar with its
operation.
CPSC advises consumers who now have one of these telephones in
their home or office to be sure that everyone using the product
is thoroughly familiar with its proper operation. Carefully read
any user manual or instructions provided with the telephone at
the time of purchase. Also, provide assistance to children or
visitors in the home or office who may use the cordless
telephone.
Since earlier this year, a number of manufacturers and
distributors of cordless telephones who are members of EIA have
been attaching labels to their products alerting the user about
the loud ring. These labels and accompanying information in the
telephone's user manuals or instructions direct users to place
the phone in the talk position before moving the handset to the
ear.
Consumers wishing to provide CPSC with complaints or
information about cordless telephones should call CPSC's
toll-free Hotline at 800-638-CPSC. A teletypewriter number for
the hearing impaired is 800-638-8270.
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