Petzl America Recalls Scorpio and Absorbica Safety Lanyards due to Fall Hazard

News provided by

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Jul 12, 2011, 12:30 ET

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO )

Name of product: Scorpio and Absorbica Shock Absorbing Lanyards
Units: About 375,000 units worldwide
Importer: Petzl America Inc., of Clearfield, Utah
Hazard: Some lanyards are missing a safety stitch on the attachment loop, which can cause the lanyard to disconnect from the climbing harness, posing a fall hazard to consumers.
Incident/Injuries: None in U.S.; one fall injury in France.
Description: This recall affects all Scorpio and Absorbica lanyards manufactured before May 2011.
Scorpio: Affected Scorpio lanyards manufactured between 2002 and 2005 are model numbers L60 and L60 CK. These are yellow and blue, Y-shaped lanyards with yellow stitching on both ends. They are connected by a metal O-ring to one end of a blue pouch which contains the tear-webbing shock absorber. The pouch has a tag on it with the word "PETZL" in white letters. The other end of the blue pouch has a blue and yellow webbing attachment loop that connects to the climbing harness. Affected Scorpio lanyards manufactured between 2005 and 2011 are model numbers L60 2, L60 2CK, L60 H, L60 WL. These are red, Y-shaped lanyards connected by a black metal O-ring to one end of a grey zippered pouch which contains the tear-webbing shock absorber. The other end of the pouch has a black webbing attachment loop that connects to the climber's harness.
Absorbica: Absorbica comes in several models with varying lanyard configurations and several different connector options. Affected model numbers are L70150 I, L70150 IM, L70150 Y, L70150 YM, L57, L58, L58 MGO, L59, and L59 MGO. The lanyards have a black zippered pouch with yellow trim and the Petzl logo on the side. All have a common tear-webbing shock absorber accessible through the zippered pouch. This zippered pouch has a connector attachment on one end. The other end can have a connector attachment, a single lanyard or a Y-shaped lanyard. All lanyard options are constructed of black nylon webbing or rope and have either a connector attachment point or a snap hook connector sewn directly to the lanyard.
Sold at: Authorized Petzl dealers nationwide and in Canada from January 2002 through May 2011 for $75 to $220.
Manufactured in: France
Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the lanyards and contact Petzl America Inc. for a free inspection and replacement of any non-conforming products.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Petzl America Inc. at (877) 740-3826 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. MT, Monday through Friday or visit the firm's website at www.petzl.com.

Photos available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11276.html

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on SaferProducts.gov

Firm's Recall Hotline: (877) 740-3826
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission