Furniture tip overs: A hidden hazard in your home
March 22, 2018, Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports believes that the number of tip-over deaths due to dressers and storage units—there were 195 reported to the CPSC between 2000 and 2016— makes it a crisis. Today industry operates under a voluntary tip-over testing standard—which means any dresser taller than 30 inches should stay upright with 50 pounds of weight hanging from an open drawer. Some manufacturers meet the standard or go beyond it; others fall short. CR thinks setting a new tip-over testing standard that is reasonable should be based on protecting more at-risk children and should be mandatory.
New Federal Standard to Improve Safety of Infant Bouncer Seats Takes Effect
March 23, 2018, Market Watch
A new federal standard aimed at making bouncers safer is now in effect. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approved the safety standard to prevent deaths and injuries to babies. The new mandatory standard applies to any infant bouncer seat manufactured or imported after March 19, 2018.
Blog: States aren’t waiting for Feds to ban flame-retardants from kids’ products
March 20, 2018, Pew Trusts
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted last fall to rid toys and furniture of a dangerous flame retardant that scientists say could cause lasting health problems in both children and firefighters. But advocates on the issue fear an internal political squabble will delay the agency from moving ahead with the ban. Sixteen states aren’t waiting around. They have bills in the works this year to ban or tightly restrict certain fire retardants from use in toys, child car seats, strollers and other children’s and household products.
The man behind the federal government’s funniest and most beloved Twitter account
March 20, 2018, Houston Chronicle
A government agency has found a way to turn consumer safety alerts and recalls into comedic gold. The creative muscle behind the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) quirky Twitter account is 31-year-old Joseph Galbo, of Orange County, New York. Since joining the 500-person federal agency in July 2016 as a social media specialist, Galbo has helped grow the agency’s Twitter followers by roughly 37 percent thanks to a mix of vibrant, meme-like images.
U.S., U.K., and E.U. regulators turn focus to IoT
March 19, 2018, National Law Review (Covington and Burling LLP)
With the tremendous economic and social impact of connected products, systems, and devices comes a more intensive focus on the legal risks of misuse, defects, and malfunctions. IoT has the potential to make products and services safer (in such diverse areas as consumer products, railroads and food), to reduce workplace hazards, and to improve patient safety and reduce preventable errors in hospitals. Connections to the Internet, however, also can introduce new vulnerabilities in the consumer market and in infrastructure, if not properly secured. Manufacturers, retailers, consumers, and regulators are increasingly focused on the consumer safety, security, and privacy implications of connected products.
ACCC launches new policy
March 19, 2018, Appliance Retailer
ACCC chairman Rod Sims has reaffirmed support for introducing a general safety provision into Australian Consumer Law to reduce the risk of unsafe goods entering the market. Speaking at the National Consumer Congress in Sydney, Sims said the new policy sets out how the ACCC will manage product safety risks, and the issues it will target in 2018. “As an agency, it is essential we prioritize our product safety resource allocation,” he said.
Secondhand toys are convenient but health experts say they can be harmful for kids
March 17, 2018, DNA India
Quite often, children receive hand-me-down toys from older siblings. Sometimes, we even save a toy for its sentimental value and pass it down to our kids. And while it’s a kind gesture to donate old toys that your child has outgrown to underprivileged kids, it might not be a good idea, after all. Reason being, according to a study, secondhand toys can cause health problems for kids. Experts shed light on the matter.
OPSS to build product surveillance and safety system
March 22, 2018, UK Authority
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), which went into operation in January, has begun to look for support in the alpha and beta phases of a project to develop a service to take over from the existing EU market surveillance systems, the Information and Communication System on Market Surveillance (ICSMS) and Rapid Alert System (Rapex). The existing systems are used to share intelligence and alerts on non-food products that could pose a risk to consumers, and the OPSS wants to have a minimum viable product in place by this time next year, in advance of the planned date for the UK to leave the EU.
New Code for product recall and corrective actions
March 19, 2018, Lexology (TLT LLP)
The UK regulatory regime for consumer goods has a new kid on the block in the form of the Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) – and it has just announced its arrival by teaming up with the British Standards Institution (BSI) to issue a new Code of Practice for product recall and corrective actions. These changes come against a backdrop of criticism due to product recalls not being effective enough – particularly in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which fire investigators believe was caused by a faulty fridge freezer.
The impact workplace safety programs have on company culture
March 20, 2018, Food Processing
Consumer brand loyalty comes with greater trust built through both consistent quality and safety of food products; the latter two aspects being key requirements mandated by regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The goal of ensuring the safety of employees within these food and beverage industries is equally important to the outcome of product safety and quality; and is a goal that can only be accomplished through committed and exemplified leadership.
