CPSC, Osram Sylvania Products Inc. Announce Recall of Decorative Light Bulbs

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #04192) was formally reported on August 4, 2004. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Osram Sylvania Products Inc., of Danvers, Mass. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate 5.6 million units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: The glass bulb can separate from its base and break during use. The broken glass can present a laceration injury to consumers, the hot broken bulb can present a burn injury to consumers, and an exposed bulb filament can… Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: If the bulb is broken, consumers should first unplug the light fixture or turn off the main circuit breaker before attempting to remove the bulb. Cloth or leather gloves should also be worn to preven… — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 3 were also issued by CPSC. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 22 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.