CPSC, PROFECO, and Health Canada Issue Joint Statement On The Fourth North America Product Safety Summit
May 4, 2018, cpsc.gov
Product safety regulators recently held the Fourth North America Consumer Product Safety Summit in Bethesda, Maryland to take stock of the accomplishments in recent years, gather input from a wide range of stakeholders, identify areas for joint work in product safety, and develop a path forward for future collaboration. Topics ranged from coordinated approaches to emerging hazards to addressing the safety challenges presented by direct-to-consumer cross-border e-commerce. The results are contained in a new Memorandum of Understanding.
Parents are calling for party bag regulations amid claims kids are being hurt by cheap toys… but are they overreacting?
May 11, 2018, The Sun
Parents are calling for party bags to be regulated after reports of children being injured by the cheap toys inside. As a result, nine in 10 support more stringent safety regulations on the items commonly put into the post-birthday packages according to a study Australian toddler Alby Fox Davis choked to death on a bouncy ball given out in the party bags at his fourth birthday party.
Blog: Sports, selfies, and sharks just some of the reasons Americans go to ER: A closer look at our dumb injuries
May 10, 2018, Spokesman.com
From drunken boxing matches to Halloween teeth that won’t come unglued, Americans visit the emergency room for varied, and sometimes amusing, injuries.New data on 2017 hospital visits suggest floors, stairs and beds remain the most dangerous items in the American home, collectively accounting for an estimated 3.2 million hospital visits. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a federal effort to monitor product-related injuries, collects data from a group of representative hospitals around the U.S.
FTC focuses on kids’ geo-location in latest COPPA warnings
May 8, 2018, JDSupra (Ifrah PLLC)
Today’s technology allows parents to answer questions regardless of the time of day. That technology, however, has recently drawn scrutiny for violating the parental notice and consent provisions of the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC’s”) Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (“COPPA”). Recently, the FTC sent two warning letters to companies whose products collect children’s geo-location. Reading between the lines of those letters, it is clear much more is at stake than the fate of those two companies.
Toys R Us Pain Could Be Gain For The Children’s Place
May 11, 2018, pymnt.com
In every story of less, there is usually someone who gained. In the case of the massive Toys R Us bankruptcy, children’s apparel retailer The Children’s Place could end up unexpectedly on the winner’s list. Senior Research Analyst Susan Anderson of investment bank B. Riley FBR put out a report saying that Babies R Us being suddenly out of the market means The Children’s Place has a chance to add as much as 2 percent to its revenue, helping to plug the $300 million hole in the bankrupt retailer’s children’s apparel division.
Cancer warnings for coffee may be overkill, but Proposition 65 is not
May 10, 2018, Los Angeles Times
It’s official: Coffee sold in California must carry cancer warnings, a Los Angeles judge ruled this week. The controversial ruling by a California Superior Court led to an outpouring of commentary leading an opinion writer to note California has gone off the “deep end.” But much of the reaction has overlooked a crucial detail: The California law behind such warnings, Proposition 65, has been the single most effective tool for spurring American companies to eliminate toxic chemicals from processed foods and consumer products.
This circuit break is still in homes despite safety concerns
May 9, 2018, Palm Beach Post (Washington Post)
Millions of U.S. and Canadian homes were built with circuit breaker panels that one expert has questioned as a potential fire hazard. Issues about Federal Pacific Electric’s Stab-Lok circuit breakers were first raised decades ago with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. After closing a CPSC investigation in 1983 because data then available did not establish the panels were a serious threat of injury to consumers” the agency in a 2011 update, clarified that the investigation was closed “without making a determination as to the safety of FPE circuit breakers or the accuracy of the manufacturer’s position on the matter.”
Ninth Circuit Reaffirms Decision Reinstating Action Over False Advertising of Wipes
May 10, 2018, Metropolitan News
A panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined, in an amended opinion, that it got it right last year when it reinstated a dismissed lawsuit against Kimberly-Clark for falsely advertising four of its cleansing wipes as “flushable.”
MPs demand urgent recall of one million tumble dryers over fears they could burst into flames
May 10, 1018, Evening Standard (UK)
The Government should consider ordering a recall of up to a million Whirlpool tumble dryers over defects that can cause them to catch fire, MPs have said. The US-based firm has failed to take responsibility for safety issues with its machines despite a warning from politicians in January, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee said.
EU Commission publishes evaluation reports on EU rules on machinery safety and product liability
May 8, 2018, EU Reporter
Technology is developing rapidly and Europe needs to seize the opportunities ahead. In addition to supporting industry modernization with initiatives such as measures on artificial intelligence and an upcoming strategy on connected and automated driving, the Commission wants to ensure that EU legislation is apt for emerging digital technologies and innovative products.
