Construction workers and builders depend on functioning tools that are safe. Defects in saws, drills, power nailers and other tools can cause serious injury. If you have a defect with any of your tools, it’s important you resolve the problem as soon as possible to prevent injury to yourself or fellow workers.
Just last week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall for 455,000 Ryobi cordless power drills because they may overheat and start a fire. The recall was issued last week after Ryobi received 47 reports of drills overheating, smoking, melting and catching fire. At least 12 of these incidents caused some property damage and two of them reported minor burn injuries.
The problem involves a defective switch that can overheat and catch fire, posing a burn risk to whoever is using the drill according to the CPSC.
There’s only one model affected by this problem – the Ryobi Model HP 1802M drill powered by an 18-volt rechargeable NiCad battery. The drills are blue and black and the model number can be found on a white label on the right side of the drill.
Affected models were purchased from Home Depot for around $100 from January 2001 to July 2003.
If you own this model drill and purchased it in that time frame, remove the battery and discontinue use immediately. Next, contact Ryobi online or call (800) 597-9624 weekdays between 10 AM and 7 PM EST to obtain a free replacement.
Being injured by a defective product can potentially be costly and painful.
If you’ve been injured by this or any defective product, contact Denver workers’ compensation attorneys at the Babcock Law Firm today to discuss what legal options you may have. Obtaining representation helps ensure you won’t absorb the costs for accidents that were not your fault.