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American home furnishings company Restoration Hardware has recalled about 2,700 metal top dining tables. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) indicated the table's metal top may contain lead, presenting a lead exposure risk to children. 

Restoration has received reports of elevated blood lead levels in four children in two homes where the recalled table was present, according to the CPSC. In addition, the CPSC stated one incident involved two children in Rhode Island, and the other incident involved two children in California. 

CPSC noted the recalled Restoration metal top dining tables were sold between March 2012 and Dec. 2016 for prices that ranged from $750 to $2,600. The commission has recommended any consumers who have already purchased a Restoration metal top dining table should stop using the table, cover it immediately and keep it out of reach of children. Also, these consumers can receive a free replacement table or full refund from Restoration. 

A Closer Look at the Product Recall's Immediate and Long-Term Effects

Lead poisoning is a severe threat to children, and Restoration's metal top dining tables posed serious risks to kids across the United States. Meanwhile, how Restoration handles the product recall may affect the business in several ways. 

Restoration has issued a product recall – a positive sign for the company. The business has accepted responsibility for its mistake and is working with the CPSC and its customers to replace its defective metal top dining tables or issue full refunds for the tables. 

Conversely, Restoration may suffer brand reputation damage due to its inability to provide safe, effective metal top dining tables in the first place. If Restoration identified the lead risks during the product development cycle, it may have been able to resolve the problem before the defective products were sold to consumers. 

The product recall also highlights the importance of a customer-first approach to consumer safety management. 

Business managers who allocate the necessary time and resources to understand consumer safety problems can help a company provide safe, reliable products day after day. Comparatively, managers who lack the skills and tools needed to identify and address consumer safety issues may put a business, its employees and its customers in danger. 

For Restoration, the company likely will need to allocate additional time and resources to manage its product recall. The costs to replace or refund the defective metal top dining tables may add up over time, putting a major dent in the company's bottom line. 

Perhaps worst of all, Restoration may alienate some of its customers due to a single product failure. Customers who previously purchased or planned to buy Restoration products may consider the business' rivals because the company sold potentially hazardous metal top dining tables.  

Ultimately, how Restoration – or any other retailer – responds to a product recall may dictate the business' short- and long-term success. 

If a retailer learns from a product failure, it may revamp its consumer safety management strategy. This company might even deploy an automated alerting system like PolyVista Alerts+ to track product failures, warranty claims and myriad quality and safety problems. By doing so, the business can take a proactive approach to consumer safety management and mitigate quality and safety issues before they escalate. 

On the other hand, a retailer that ignores consumer safety management could encounter many problems. This business likely will struggle to understand the root causes of quality and safety problems, and as such, won't be able to resolve such issues effectively. Thus, the company may suffer brand reputation damage, revenue losses and corporate and/or federal penalties due to its inability to manage consumer safety problems. 

The Restoration product recall offers valuable insights into the risks associated with quality and safety problems. Fortunately, retailers can use an automated alerting system to learn about quality and safety problems faster than ever before. As a result, these businesses can prioritize consumer safety management and eliminate the risk of product failures, warranty claims and other quality and safety issues. 

Summary

Consumer safety management should be a top priority for retailers around the world. Now, PolyVista Alerts+ provides an automated alerting system to help managers streamline their consumer safety efforts. With PolyVista Alerts+, managers can monitor consumer safety data, identify quality and safety issues and find the best ways to minimize such problems both now and in the future.