In Texas, a couple is suing their local Walmart after a gas container they had bought exploded and caused their toddler to receive severe burns.

The injury occurred after the child’s father filled a lawnmower with gasoline and placed the gas container cap back onto the spout. A short time later, the toddler managed to pick the gas can up, remove the cap and carry it to a storage room. When the father saw the child near the container and a puddle of gasoline, he went to remove Roman from the storage room. However, as the child was being moved, the gasoline vapors ignited and the lower half of the child caught fire. As the father ran out of the room with his son, the gas container exploded, causing further injury.

According to the gas container lawsuit, the Blitz 1+ one gallon gas can only had a simple cap that required lining up arrows to remove and was ineffective as a child-resistant cap. The gas container also lacked a flame arrestor, which is a small metal mesh that could have prevented the flames from going back into the can.

The couple had purchased the container in 2005, three years prior to the passing of the Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act which stated that all gas containers sold after January 17, 2009 were required to have caps designed for child resistance.

The lawsuit marks one of many instances where Walmart was willing to cut prices without taking the necessary steps to ensure product safety. While Walmart has been constantly criticized for cutting prices for monopolistic gain, (anywhere from other retail stores to the diamond industry) Walmart's regards for safety are not as widely covered by the media, but can pose a threat to the well-being of consumers.

Walmart's price-cutting techniques threaten safety as evident by the company's controversy with port security. However, this article as well as our report on Ranbaxy, shows Walmart betraying its customers right off the shelf. While laws are passed to prevent corporate irresponsibility, many still slip through the cracks, and if Walmart is found guilty, the retailer must make significant changes to its business practices.