Ikea to recall 1.7 million Malm dressers in China
July 12, 2016, bbc.com
The Swedish furniture retailer Ikea has extended a recall of its popular Malm chest of drawers to China following pressure from regulators. Last month, the firm announced a recall of 36 million dressers in the U.S. and Canada. China’s official Xinhua news agency criticized Ikea for showing “arrogance” after it initially refused to extend the recall to China. “The potential danger to household safety from furniture toppling over is a serious problem for the entire home wares industry,” Ikea said on its website. The firm had initially refused to expand its recall to China, the UK, or the EU saying the products met local standards.
Opinion: IKEA’s risky business
July 5, 2016, The Economist
The Data Team from the Economist writing in a blog compares deaths from falls involving furniture in the United States. In 2014, more than 1,200 Americans died falling from beds, chairs, and other furniture, a doubling of the number since 1999. Since 1998, six deaths resulted from tip overs of Malm dressers, along with 36 injuries. The Data Team wonders: “As America greys, bed- and chair- makers might want to make their products pensioner-proof.”
California adds group of herbicides to Proposition 65 list
July 11, 2016, JDSupra (Bryan Cave)
Following a failed legal challenge by Syngenta Crop Protection, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment announced that it has added a group of broadleaf herbicides to the list of chemicals under Proposition 65 known to cause reproductive harm. The listing was originally scheduled to be effective in August 2015, but was delayed several times by Syngenta’s legal challenge. Syngenta lost the case in April, 2016 and appealed. Since the appellate court has not granted a stay, OEHHA has gone ahead with the listing.
Blog: CPSC Civil Penalties: A divide along party lines
June 15, 2016, Lexology (Mintz, Levin)
This blog examines different perspectives that represent some of the divide on philosophies within the Consumer Product Safety Commissioner leadership about the role and purpose of civil penalties. Recent civil penalty settlements, including a record-breaking $15.45 million penalty against Gree Electric Appliance entities, demonstrate the issue. Of nine settlements analyzed, 5 received a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Buerkle dissenting, while 4 penalties received a 3-2 vote with Commissioners Mohorovic and Buerkle dissenting. The authors analyze each Commissioner’s position and conclude that the “major policy divide on civil penalties relates to the role of such penalties in CPSC enforcement, how they are calculated, and the ability of stakeholders to be guided by previous settlements.”
Commissioner’s Viewpoints:
Commissioner Marietta Robinson Appeal: “Let us make guns safer”
July, 2016, cpsc.gov/Commissioner blogs
In her blog, Commissioner Robinson explains some potential paths for addressing the substantial percentage of injuries and deaths associated with the use of guns that are not the result of intentional violent accts. Among these are steps that could be taken due to the lack of appropriate safety mechanisms in guns that result in unreasonable risk of injury or death that the Consumer Product Safety Commissioner was first set up to address. However, a “circuitous and opaque clause in the Consumer Product Safety Act excludes guns and ammunition from the definition of ‘consumer product,’ “ rendering the CPSC “powerless” to make guns safer.
Dutch regulator bans 24 USB chargers for safety risks
July 13, 2016, telcompaper
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority has tested 41 chargers and banned 24 of them due to risk of an electric shock or fire, or lacking technical documentation making it impossible to verify fully their safety. The products did not meet regulatory requirements and were therefore subject to being banned.
For its 95 th anniversary, China’s Communist Party is trying to explain itself
June 30, 2016, Quartz
In a series of celebrations and events designed to honor its past while looking ahead to the 21st century role it charts for itself, the country’s Communist Party has put a special effort into reaching outside of its borders in recent months. As part of an online push, the party released a series of videos that attempt to “explain” China. “This is China” is a jarring 4-minutes English language hip-hop music video featuring the rap group CD Rev. It praises the party for the country’s economic boom, while lamenting the problems of corruption, product safety, and environmental conditions.
Hoverboards: A look a the safety of a new type of light electric vehicle
July 11, 2016, sgs.com
Hoverboards have been investigated in both the EU and in North America for a wide range of safety hazards, the most frequent being faulty cut-off switches, lithium batteries, and non-compliant plugs. Various hazardous scenarios are a direct result of relevant and binding standards, according to this analysis by SGS. However, standardization and relevant market surveillance is on the way in both the EU and the United States.
Officials find lead in water at 2nd U.S. House office building
July 11, 2016, Salina Post
U.S. Capitol officials have found elevated levels of lead in the water at a second House building, the Rayburn House Office Building. The week prior, officials shut off the drinking water in the Cannon House Office Building after they received elevated lead test results. Bottled water was provided and blood level testing was available for Congressional staff. An email to lawmakers says that 99% of the water tested so far n the Rayburn Building is safe under Environmental Protection Agency standards.
Elevator safety campaign launched in New York City
July 12, 2016, Claims Journal
The New York building department reports five people died and 51 were injured in elevator accidents in 2015. To address this, a citywide campaign was launched urging people trapped inside stalled elevators to stay put. The campaign “Stay Safe. Stay Put” encourages elevator passengers to remain calm and push the elevator’s alarm button. The CPSC reported that 91 elevator passenger non-work related deaths between 1997-2010. Falls caused over half the deaths which occurred in 23 states.
