Anti-tip-over law, inspired by Ogdensburg (NY) child’s death, signed into law
December 29, 2016, northcountrynow.com
Moved by a tragic event, a New York State Senator and Assemblyman have sponsored legislation to prevent “tip over” accidents that was signed into law at the end of 2015. Under the law’s provisions, the state’s Consumer Protection Division will be required to develop a public awareness campaign about the danger and the need to anchor to floors or walls heavy furniture that could fall or be pulled down by children.
U.S. Colleges begin banning hoverboards from campus over fire concerns
January 7, 2016, CTVnews.ca
At least 20 universities have banned or restricted hoverboards on their campuses in recent weeks, saying that the 2-wheeled, motorized scooters are unsafe and found in some cases to cause fires according to federal authorities. In New Jersey, a Kean University official issued a campus-wide ban telling the school’s 14,000 students that any hoverboards found on campus would be confiscated. Outright bans have also been issued at American University and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Hoverboard fire: Consumer watchdog launches investigation after blaze destroys Melbourne house
January 6, 2016, abc.net.au
Australia’s consumer watchdog will launch an investigation into hoverboards after one of the motorized scooters caused a fire that destroyed a family’s home causing an estimated $500,000 in damage. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will conduct the investigation at the request of the Victorian government, following the path that led to a ban of the product in the UK.
New ASTM standard supporters greener chemicals in consumer products
January 7, 2016, Thomasnet.com
With E3027, Guide for Making Sustainability-related Chemical Selection Decisions in the Life Cycle of Product, manufacturers and regulators can determine whether the most sustainable chemicals are being used for consumer products. The standard also provides guidance on how to perform analysis of alternative chemicals that is a regulatory requirement in states like California.
California Proposition 65 reformulation of phthalates in consumer products
January 5, 2016, 4-Traders.com
A number of Prop 65 settlements have been reached for a wide variety of products containing phthalates. The parties to these settlements agreed to reformulate phthalates or to provide Prop 65 warnings. The Prop 65 list contains approximately 850 chemicals, including 6 phthalates.
U.S. Sues Volkswagen for cheating on emissions tests
January 5, 2016, The New York Times
The Justice Department sued the German automaker in federal court saying that the company installed illegal devices in nearly 600,000 diesel engine systems to impair emissions controls, increasing harmful air pollution. The company admitted in September that it had installed the software created to cheat on emissions tests in 11 million of its diesel vehicles worldwide.
Companies regulatory matters increase fourfold: costs, risk, data security top list of concerns for U.S. and European companies
November 15, 2015, Metropolitan Corporate Counsel
In its annual litigation and corporate compliance survey, one law firm polled general counsel and compliance officers at companies with annual revenue of $250 million or more. Top of mind concerns included: controlling costs (73%), data security (66%), proactive risk management (66%), early case assessment (57%), and global compliance (55%). “Bet the company” cases involved 11% of respondant companies, versus 8% in a 2014 survey.
Takata emails show brash exchanges about data tampering
January 5, 2015, The New York Times
Accused by one of its leading customers, Honda Motor Company, Takata emails newly obtained claim that the air bag supplier submitted testing data that had been “misrepresented and manipulated.” The emails suggest the manipulation was both bold and broad, involving open exchanges among Takata employees in Japan and the U.S. Honda announced 2 months ago that it would no longer use Takata as supplier of its airbags.
Recently finalized FSMA rules create new safety requirements
January 6, 2016, naturalproductsinsider.com
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently finalized rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that create new food safety requirements for FDA-registered food facilities and importers of food and beverages. Preventative controls rules have a compliance deadline of September, 2016, and contain a requirement for written food safety plans, including a more rigorous assessment of supplier compliance history. The foreign supplier verification program (FSVP) provisions have a compliance deadline of May, 2017 and are described as “risk-based activities to verify that food imported into the United States has been produced in a manner that meets applicable U.S. safety standards.
Supply Chain Managers: Use certified products in your supply chain
January 7, 2016, ebonline.com
Despite the heightened importance of supply chain technology and regulatory compliance where data privacy is concerned, many organization still aren’t giving cyber security the attention needed in this interconnected age of business operations. One path forward involves working with vendors who offer certified products to mitigate risks and adds a level of security.
