Black & Decker to Pay Penalty to CPSC

Black & Decker will pay a $575,000 civil penalty to the Consumer Product Safety Commission for failing to report defects in one of its toaster lines quickly enough, the commission said. The commission also alleged that Black & Decker withheld consumer complaint information and important engineering documents during the commission’s investigation. The Spacemaker T1000 Type 1 toasters, sold between 1994 and 1996 and still under recall, can cause food to burn, the commission said. The toaster, which mounts beneath a kitchen cabinet, has a door that opens automatically and a food rack that extends outward. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said that can allow flames to escape. More than 1,000 people complained of food fires to Black & Decker. Twelve of the incidents involved burn injuries, the commission said, and 850 involved property damage. Though Black & Decker, based in Towson, Md., denied the charges and said it violated no law, the company agreed to pay the civil penalty. The fine represents one of the largest ever paid to the commission. Black & Decker shares fell $1.56 to close at $50.13 on the New York Stock Exchange.