Gree agrees to pay 15m dollars penalty to US safety authority

Chinese appliance company Gree Electric Appliances Inc recently accepted a $15.45-million-civil-penalty imposed by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

中国设备制造商格力电器集团近日同意支付由美国消费品安全委员会（CPSC）开出的1545万美元罚单。

According to the CPSC’s announcement on March 25, as required by US federal law, Gree and two of its subsidiary firms, Hong Kong Gree Electric Appliances Sales Co Ltd and Gree USA Sales Ltd, have failed to "report a defect and unreasonable risk of serious injury to CPSC immediately (within 24 hours) with dehumidifiers sold under 13 different brand names, including Frigidaire, GE, Gree, Kenmore and Soleus Air".

CPSC在3月25日发表的公告中称，根据美国联邦法律，格力股份有限公司和旗下子公司香港格力电器销售公司和美国销售有限公司“没有在规定的时间里（24小时内）向CPSC报告在其销售的13个子品牌包括Frigidaire、GE、Gree、Kenmore and Soleus Air在内的除湿器存在产品缺陷和引发重大伤害的风险。”

"Gree’s dehumidifiers had a defect that caused the machines to overheat and catch fire. These incidents began in July 2012 and caused nearly $4.5 million in property damage," the announcement said.

公告中称：“格力公司销售的压缩机存在可能引发机器过热甚至自燃的产品缺陷，从2012年7月起就有该类事件发生并造成约450万美元的财产损失。”

According to the CPSC, despite Gree receiving multiple reports of incidents, and despite making design changes to fix the problem, Gree failed to report the defect to CPSC immediately.

根据CPSC称，尽管格力方面收到了多起事故投诉并做出了设计优化来解决此类问题，但是格力并没有及时向CPSC通报此次事件。

"The delay for reporting to the CPSC about the dehumidifiers issue is because we do not have a deep understanding of American laws, rather than breaking them on purpose," Gree said in a written statement to chinadaily.com.cn.

在格力集团发给中国日报网的一份书面声明中称：“没有及时向CPSC上报除湿器缺陷是因为其对美国法律缺少深入的了解，而非故意违反当地法律。”

According to Gree, more than 98 percent of the forfeit is due to the delay in reporting to the CPSC.

据格力方面称，将近98%的罚款是由于没有在法定时间内向CPSC上报。

The company also denied two accusations listed by the CPSC, which said that Gree made misrepresentations to its staff during its investigation and sold dehumidifiers bearing the UL safety certification mark knowing that the dehumidifiers did not meet UL flammability standards.

公司也否认了CPSC对其在接受调查期间故意隐瞒事实和使用不符合UL阻燃标准的压缩机冒充带有UL认证标识的产品进行销售的指控。

"Under the business premises of protecting consumers’ interests, Gree has voluntarily recalled the dehumidifiers associated with the problem," Gree said. "We have to face a variety of difficulties in different areas, such as market, trade and technology, and it is a must-experience stage for Chinese manufacturers who are keen on expanding to the overseas market."

格力方面称：“在保护消费者利益的经营策略下，格力已经多次主动召回问题除湿机。我们必须要面临来自各个方面的困难，比如市场、贸易和技术方面，这对于那些致力于开拓海外市场的中国制造企业来说是必经的阶段。”

Gree pointed out that it will calmly meet the challenges and adopt a positive approach to the problems.

格力方面指出将冷静迎接挑战，找出解决问题的正确方法。

The dehumidifiers were eventually recalled in September 2013. The recall was expanded in January 2014, and re-announced in May 2014. Gree manufactured, imported and sold more than 2.5 million units nationwide. The humidifiers were sold by AAFES, HH Gregg, Home Depot, Kmart, Lowe’s, Menards, Mills Fleet Farm, Sam’s Club, Sears, Walmart and other stores nationwide and in Canada, and online at Amazon.com and Ebay.com, from January 2005 through August 2013 for $110 to $400.

问题除湿机最初在2013年9月开始召回，并在2014年的1月和5月再次召回。从2005年1月至2013年8月期间，格力制造、进口和通过在全国以及加拿大境内的AAFES、HH Gregg、Home Depot、Kmart、Lowe’s、Menards、Mills Fleet Farm、Sam’s Club、Sears、Walmart和其它一些零售商，加上通过线上平台亚马逊和易趣以110美元至400美元不等的单价销售了总计约250万台的问题除湿器。

According to CPSC, in addition to paying the civil penalty, Gree has agreed to implement a program to ensure compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Act and a related system of internal controls and procedures.

应CPSC要求，除了缴纳民事罚款外，格力已经同意开展一个项目以确保符合美国消费品安全法（CPSA）和内部控制、程序的相关制度。

The CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction.

CPSC负责杜绝其管辖的上千种类型的消费品存在造成伤亡的不合理风险，以保护公共安全。

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来源:China Daily爱语吧作者:鹏飞