Amazon struggles to police safety of products sold by third parties on its site, WSJ investigation finds
August 23, 2019, Seattle Times
Thousands of items for sale on Amazon “have been declared unsafe by federal agencies, are deceptively labeled or are banned by federal regulators,” according to a Wall Street Journal investigation published Friday. The report, documenting potentially unsafe products ranging from medications to toys to motorcycle helmets that are sold on the e-commerce site by third-party sellers. The majority of the physical products sold on its massive website now come not from Amazon itself but from third-party sellers — ranging from giant consumer brands to individuals reselling merchandise out of their garages to anonymous Chinese manufacturers.
Don’t get swept away; CPSC Reminds consumers to be grounded in safety when using bounce houses
August 8, 2019, cpsc.gov
Warm temperatures mean more outdoor fun for children. From birthday parties to carnivals, bounce houses are likely to be a part of the fun. It’s important to remember, however, injuries can happen. CPSC cautions consumers to take care when using inflatables, including bounce houses. “If a bounce house is not properly secured to the ground, a gust of wind can send it airborne with children inside and the result can be tragic,” says CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. “If the tops of the trees are swaying, it may be too windy to let your child play inside of a bounce house,” she added.
The White House and schools have this in common: asbestos
August 23, 2019, The Hill
What do the White House and schools across the United States have in common? Shockingly, the answer is asbestos. Over the past few weeks, dozens of senior White House staff including Ivanka Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Miller, and Larry Kudlow had to move out of their offices so the hazardous cancer-causing mineral could be removed. The government says the work should be done by the end of the month
A baby product company’s tariff dilemma: ‘How does business move forward?’
August 18, 2019, CNBC
There was a bit of good tariff news this week for makers of baby products, as executives like Joe Shamie continue to wonder what’s ahead for the industry. President Donald Trump included the group as part of the industries that will see tariffs delayed on Chinese imports. As president of Delta Children, these kinds of issues are paramount for Shamie, whose New York-based Delta Children company counts on China for supplies and manufacturing for a number of items, including bedding and mattress springs for cribs.
Expect to see a lot more coming from Ikea in the smart home segment
August 19, 2019, Digital Trends
Ikea has been dabbling in smart home tech in recent years, but a new announcement from the company reveals it’s about to dive even deeper into the sector. The Swedish furniture giant said it’s creating a dedicated business unit geared toward smart home tech, which, according to the company, marks its biggest commitment to a single product line since it introduced Children’s Ikea more than 20 years ago.
Trump forces Ford, GM to walk a fine line on fuel economy
August 22, 2019, CNBC
In tweets, Trump turned up the heat on auto companies for not supporting his plans. He called auto executives “foolish,” said the founders of Ford Motor and General Motors are “rolling over” at the “weakness of current car company executives.” The attacks came after Ford, Honda Motor, BMW and Volkswagen reached a voluntary agreement last month with California on fuel economy standards. The deal included relaxed standards instead of a freeze to the Obama administration’s rules — something most major automakers have supported. Trump’s attacks shine light on an ongoing dilemma of automakers wanting to satisfy the administration as they try to do what’s best for business. The industry has already invested billions in increasing fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions of new vehicles.
Who’s in Charge Here? The CPSC and Individual Liability for Corporate Actions
August 23, 2019, National Law Review
In April, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) broke new ground by indicting two former officials of a company accused of failing to timely report a potential product safety hazard to the CPSC. Those indictments marked the first time the CPSC has sought to hold executives criminally liable based on an alleged reporting violation.
SPSP Technical Paper: Elderly slips and falls are a threat, but technology can help reduce risk
August, 2019, Society of Product Safety Professionals (Tim Cassidy and Andrea Delius)
Falling seems as though it becomes inevitable as age increases. Falling just once, doubles your chances of falling again. Every year, three million seniors are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries and over 800,000 patients a year are hospitalized because of a fall injury .Now, new detection technology is improving with the aim of not only detecting but predicting fall likelihood thereby reducing risk in this area.
‘Brexit backstop is not just legal quibbling’-Macron warns Boris Johnson; EU won’t tear up withdrawal agreement
August 22, 2019, independent.ie
French President Emmanuel Macron has told Boris Johnson the EU will not tear up the Brexit deal negotiated by Theresa May. Mr Macron told the British Prime Minister in Paris there could not be a “reshuffling” of the Withdrawal Agreement – but he left open the possibility of making some changes to the deal.
Consumer IoT products: Governments opening the doors on cybersecurity regulation
August 23, 2019, Lexology
The European Commission has been working on a range of measures to strengthen cybersecurity of consumer IoT products, and has just launched a public consultation. This provides an important opportunity to make a contribution to the future direction of regulation in this area in the EU. At the same time, the UK is actively considering the future of regulation in this area, with its public consultation having recently been completed.
