Worm Gett'rs electric worm probes
Check against the official notice below — it lists the full affected range.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered PandM Enterprises to stop manufacturing and selling the "WORM GETT'RS," an electric worm probe designed to shock worms out of the ground. The device presents an electrocution hazard because it draws full line voltage of 110-120 volts to bare metal shafts. Users and bystanders can be shocked or electrocuted by touching the exposed shafts or by contacting the ground near the probe. According to the CPSC, 28 people, mostly children, have died using functionally equivalent worm probes.
The CPSC issued a final order on July 17, 1991, prohibiting PandM from manufacturing, selling, distributing, or importing the product into the United States. Because PandM owners declared bankruptcy and lack resources to conduct a recall, the Commission did not require the company to retrieve the hazardous probes already in use. The source does not specify what consumers who own this product should do.
Written by software from the official notice below. Not reviewed by a lawyer.
Electrocution/Electric Shock
July 26, 1991 Release # 91-099 PandM Worm Probes Found Hazardous; Electrocution Risk Cited In CPSC Order To Halt Manufacture And Sale Of Worm Probes WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has determined that the "WORM GETT'RS," an electric worm probe made by PandM Enterprises of Caldwell, Idaho, presents an electrocution hazard and may no longer be produced or sold. In a lengthy decision and Order issued on July 17, 1991, the Commission unanimously upheld the decision of Administrative Law Judge Paul J. Clerman that the PandM "WORM GETT'RS" was defective. The product, which is used to shock worms out of the ground, can expose users and passers-by to a lethal dose of electricity. The worm probe draws full line voltage, 110-120 volts, to its two, six, or 12 bare metal shafts. The Commission found that by touching the exposed shafts, or even by contacting the ground in the vicinity of the probe, consumers could be shocked or electrocuted. Twenty-eight persons, most of them children, have died using "functionally equivalent" worm probes. The Commission ordered PandM to refrain from manufacturing the product, offering it for sale, distributing it, or importing it into the United States. The agency directed its staff to work with PandM to notify the public of the hazard and to warn consumers against further use of the worm probe. Because the owners of PandM have declared bankruptcy, and lack the resources to conduct a recall campaign, the Commission did not require the firm to recall the hazardous probes. PandM can elect to appeal the Commission's decision to a Federal court. The CPSC has taken this action as part of its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The CPSC is a Federal agency responsible for consumer product safety. Some 15,000 different types of products fall under the Commission's jurisdiction and each year these products are involved in an estimated 28.5 million injuries and 21,600 deaths
Official record: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ↗
Republished from the official source above; details can change — the source record controls.