Samsung cites two separate battery issues for its Note7 recall woes
January 22, 2017, Washingtonpost.com
Samsung looked to regain the trust of its customers as it revealed that two separate battery issues caused one of its best-selling smartphones to catch fire and explode this past fall. The South Korean tech giant disclosed that the battery components in the Galaxy Note7 did not properly fit in the casing, causing the initial round of fires. The second round of fires, resulting from manufacturer issues as the company raced to put replacement phones on the market in exchange for the flawed initial round of production, included inadequate welding.
CPSC urges better battery safety after Samsung’s Note7 fiasco
January 24, 2017, cnet.com
Elliot Kaye, chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said the technology industry needs to “modernize and improve the safety standards for lithium-ion batteries in consumer electronics and also stay ahead of new power sources that will inevitably come along and replace these.” He said this includes putting more safeguards in place during the design and manufacturing stages to make sure batteries are safe.
Small magnets, big trouble: Zen successfully challenges CPSC rule making in the 10th Circuit
January 24, 2017, Morrison Foerster blog
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently vacated the Consumer Product Safety Commissioner’s 2014 rule making that prohibits the importation and distribution of high-powered, small rare earth magnet sets (SREMS). The ruling seemingly ends CPSC’s 8-year effort to rid the market of SREMS and clears the way for the last remaining SREMS importer and distributor, Zen Magnets, to continue doing business in the United States.
Fresno judge rejects Monsanto’s bid to block state from listing chemical as cancer causing
January 27, 2017, The Fresno Bee
A Fresno County Superior Court judge has ruled against chemical giant Monsanto in its fight to prevent California regulators from listing the key ingredient to its popular weed killer Roundup as a carcinogen. Monsanto sued the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment last January after the agency issued a notice of intent to add glyphosate to its Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer.
Avoiding and managing product recalls
January 24, 2017, qualitydigest.com
By their very nature, product recalls are unpredictable events that no manufacturing organization wants to face. The cost is expensive, and they cause frustration and inconvenience for consumers. To reduce risk, there are new tools such as tolerance analysis software that provide the ability to ensure products come off the assembly line without defect or risk of failure. Concepts such as lean manufacturing, lean Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints have helped reduce risk leading to recalls for manufacturers
Blog: A new report claims that there are 297,696 U.S. regulations that restrict manufacturers. Wow!
January 25, 2017, The Washington Post
A small business blogger delves into a new report from the National Association of Manufacturers that provides examples of some restrictions. The report finds that a survey of manufacturers shows that 72% of those surveyed feel the regulatory burden has gone well beyond what is reasonable.
VW fallout continues: Mobile source emissions enforcement likely to continue full speed ahead under Trump Administration
January 19, 2017, JDSupra.com (Snell & Wilmer)
Just when the German automaker thought the news in the United States could not get any worse, the FBI made the surprise announcement that it had arrested one of the company’s engineers and managers, charging him with criminal violations of the Clear Air Act in connection with Volkswagen’s emissions scandal. A few days later, five co-conspirators from the company were indicted with charges including allegations of document destruction and obstruction of justice.
EPA to hold public meeting on initial ten chemicals to be evaluated under TSCA Section 6
January 27, 2017, National Law Review (Bergeson & Campbell)
A notice in the Federal Registers announced that the Environmental Protection Agency will be holding a public meeting on February 14 in Washington to receive public input and information on uses and conditions of use for the ten chemicals to be evaluated under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act.
New Thomson Reuters Compliance Solution
January 27, 2017, bobsguide.com
Organizations facing regulatory overload may benefit from new tools introduced by Thomson Reuters to help manage compliance workflow. Regulatory Change Management (RCM),Thomson’s new compliance solution, integrates regulatory content from various platforms and maps the data directly into a firm’s internal policies and procedures, according to Thomson Reuters.
Health Canada seeks input on lead levels in drinking water
January 19, 2017, moosejawtimes.sk.ca
Canada’s Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water (CDW) is planning to update water guidelines for lead. The action is timely, as the City of Moose Jaw has collected 500 samples through a voluntary program and found 60% of these were over the current limit.
