Werner Recalls 78,000 Multipurpose Ladders Due to Fall Hazards

If you have a Werner aluminum ladder, you may want to check it over. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently recalled about 78,000 of these ladders because of a potential safety risk. The ladders can break while you’re using them, creating a fall hazard.

The product is officially called a “multi-purpose telescoping aluminum ladder.” It comes in five different models, and can be used in five different positions, including:

The ladders were manufactured in China, and imported by Werner Co. of Greenville, Pennsylvania. The products were sold at Home Depot and Lowe’s between April 2018 and May 2018 for between $180 and $275.

Consumers may be able to find the model number printed on a label located on the side of the ladder rail. The ladders all have a reported load capacity of 375 pounds.

The company implemented the recall after receiving one report of a ladder breaking while in use. The consumer suffered an injury to the left side and elbow.

Consumers are advised to stop using the products immediately and return them to the store of purchase to receive a full refund. Werner did not indicate a reason why the ladders may break.

A similar recall occurred last year when Wing Enterprises recalled about 37,000 “Little Giant” multipurpose ladders. The CPSC stated that the ladder’s locking pins/rung fasteners could fail, posing a fall hazard to consumers on the ladder. Wing Enterprises had received two reports of these fasteners failing, though no injuries were reported.

The products were manufactured in China and imported by Wing, and sold at AAFES, NEXCOM, PPG Paints stores, and online at Amazon, DirectBuy, Eladders, and many other online retailers. Sales occurred between March 2016 through February 2017, with the ladders running between $200 and $320.

Consumers were advised to immediately stop using the ladders and contact Wing for a “free repair kit.” This kit included ABS nylon inserts that the customer could install that were intended to fix the problem. Ladders involved in this recall included Little Giant Velocity, LT, and Liberty multipurpose ladders. “Little Giant,” the model name and number, and part number were all printed on the side of the ladder.

If you had either one of these ladders and you suffered an injury while using them, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit to recover damages. Though a recall doesn’t automatically make a manufacturer or importer liable, it can help establish that the product was defective. Plaintiffs must prove that the defect caused the injury and that the company was aware of the defect, yet failed to take timely and appropriate action.

Focusing on representing injury victims nationwide in product liability and complex personal injury litigation, Mr. Cohn has litigated a wide-array of cases against numerous manufacturers, employers, landowners, and negligent third-parties—resulting in many multi-million dollar recoveries. In addition to working for nationwide plaintiffs firms in New York, he is also a former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney.