Check Your Woods Wire Plug-In Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter

WASHINGTON, DC - Woods Wire Products, Inc. of Carmel, IN, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), is urging consumers to check their Woods Wire Model #1651, plug-in ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) before each use to assure that they are working properly. The Woods Wire GFCI model #1651 was sold nationwide.

GFCIs are devices that provide a degree of protection against electric shocks. They can be permanently installed as part of an electric circuit in a house, or consumers can purchase portable GFCIs that plug into an electric socket. Although no device can provide complete protection against the hazard of electric shock, a GFCI can provide a degree of protection by shutting off the electricity in a circuit if it detects a current leakage. Both the CPSC and Woods Wire Products urge consumers to purchase and use GFCIs.

Woods Wire Products is aware of two instances in which Model #1651, Plug-In Woods Wire Guardian brand GFCI, custom manufactured and labeled by Goldstar Electric Machinery Co., Ltd., failed to operate. There were no injuries. While failure to operate does not in and of itself present a hazard, the consumer does not have the electric shock protection provided by a functioning GFCI if there is a leakage of electrical current in the circuit. Consumers are urged to check their GFCI by pressing the test button before each use.

If the GFCI fails to operate as intended when the test button is depressed, consumers should immediately discontinue using the GFCI and replace it. The instructions for testing the GFCI are permanently affixed on the face of the product. It is the policy of Woods Wire Products, Inc., to replace non- functioning GFCIs.

For further information, consumers can contact Woods Wire Products at 1-800-447-4364 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Monday through Friday).

The CPSC is issuing this warning as part of its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The CPSC is the Federal agency responsible for product safety. Some 15,000 types of consumer products fall within the Commission's jurisdiction and each year these products are involved in an estimated 30 million injuries and 22,000 deaths.