Action Needed To Improve CPSC Preparedness For Product Examination Disruptions”
October 27, 2022, Government Accountability Office
According to the GAO report: “From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic through August 2020, the Consumer Product Safety Commission conducted significantly fewer examinations of imported products. Working remotely, CPSC investigators conducted 850 examinations compared to 4,537 during the same period in 2019. CPSC wasn’t well prepared entering the pandemic, when port staff stopped conducting onsite examinations. The agency made decisions about its operations and remote procedures as conditions evolved because it didn’t have a fully developed continuity plan.”
On CPSC 50th Anniversary, Sen. Cantwell Highlights Action To Protect Children From Residential Elevator Hazards
October 27, 2022, U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, recognized the 50th anniversary of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Sen. Cantwell acknowledged CPSC’s decades of work to protect American consumers from dangerous and deadly products, including this year’s long overdue actions to protect children from hazardous residential elevators.
Product Safety Group Opens Registration for 2023 Certification Program in Washington, D.C. area
October 30, 2020, EIN News
Registration is now open for the 2023 Consumer Product Safety Professional Certification Program taking place on the campus of the Virginia Tech (VT) Research Center in Arlington, Va. This program is being offered by the alliance of Virginia Tech Continuing and Professional Education, the Society of Product Safety Professionals (SPSP) and its education partner ADK Information Services. Those who successfully complete this training course earn the designation Certified Product Safety Professional™ awarded by SPSP. The annual program was first offered in 2019.
Monitoring Individual Employees Isn’t The Way To Boost Productivity
October 27, 2022, Harvard Business Review
Ever since workers moved from offices to work-from-home setups, companies have worried about how they’re spending their time. Many have bought invasive “productivity monitoring” software to keep tabs on people. There is, however, a better and more empathic way to use data to improve productivity. Among other things, protect employee anonymity and collect data at the team level.
Prop 65 PFAS Notices Increasing In Number
October 26, 2022, National Law Review
Significant actions by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) lists six types of PFAS as chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm – PFOA, PFOS, PFDA, PFHxS, PFNA, and PFUnDA. Companies with current or legacy uses of certain PFAS must be cognizant of the strict Prop 65 requirements in order to avoid significant penalties and must take a close look at chemical composition of their product lines to avoid expensive enforcement action defense.
Consumer Reports: You Can’t Always Trust Claims On ‘Non-Toxic’ Cookware
October 26, 2022, Consumer Reports
If you’ve shopped for nonstick cookware recently, you may have noticed labels meant to indicate that your new frying pan is free of certain hazardous chemicals. To see if nonstick pans that are claimed to be PFOA-free really are, and if consumers can rely on other PFAS-related claims, Consumer Reports recently tested three recommended nonstick frying pans in our ratings at different price points.
Tesla Cyberquad For Kids By Radio Flyer Recalled Because It Doesn’t Meet Federal Safety Standards
October 27, 2022, Penn Live.com
Radio Flyer has recalled the Cyberquad for Kids that was sold exclusively through Tesla. “The Cyberquad fails to comply with the federal mandatory safety standard requirements for youth ATVs, including mechanical suspension and maximum tire pressure,” according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Commission also said, “Additionally, the Cyberquad lacks a CPSC-approved ATV action plan, which is required to manufacture, import, sell, or distribute ATVs.”
National Fire Protection Association Provides Tips On E-Bike, E-Scooter Safety And Micromobility Device Fires
October 25, 2022, Fire Engineering
The National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) has created a new micromobility device safety webpage (https://www.nfpa.org/ebikes) in response to the concerns fire officials have about the growing number of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries that power electric bikes and electric scooters as their popularity increases. The webpage features information about why e-bikes and e-scooters catch fire, what some jurisdictions are doing to better regulate that risk and what tips people can follow to stay safe if they use, store, or charge e-bikes or e-scooters.
FTC Proposes New Efficiency And Repair Instruction Requirements
October 27, 2022, JD Supra
Manufacturers may soon have to include energy efficiency labeling and appliance repair instructions for a broad range of new consumer appliances. Specifically, the FTC is exploring amending its Energy Labeling Rule to require EnergyGuide labels on some new consumer products and additional categories of lamps, as well as instructions for how consumers could repair broken products. The FTC’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking has not yet been published in the Federal Register; public comment on the Commission’s proposals will be due 60 days following such publication.
Children Very Vulnerable To Severe Injury From Quad Bike Use
October 27, 2022, Medical X Press
Children are very vulnerable to severe injury from the use of quad bikes, also known as ATVs, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Public education campaigns on the potential dangers associated with their use are urgently needed, say the researchers. the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that close to 100,000 injuries associated with ATV use were treated in US emergency departments in 2013.
Internet Safety Will Change The Web For Adults, Too
October 26, 2022, Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act into law. The bill, designed to protect minors on the internet, goes beyond today’s simple parental controls. While directed toward children’s safety and well-being, the impact of the law could be much broader, says Stanford HAI Privacy and Data Policy Fellow Jennifer King.
