President Biden Announces His Intent To Nominate Douglas Dziak As CPSC Commissioner
March 27, 2023, The White House
President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Douglas Dziak as a Member of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Dziak is currently Chief Counsel to CPSC Commissioner Peter A. Feldman and has spent almost a decade in public service. In this current role, Dziak’s work covers a broad range of issues including consumer safety policy, legal, budget and oversight to advance the agency’s safety mission.
New Peloton Patent Shows Revamped Tread+ Could Be On The Way
March 22, 2023, Connect The Watts
A new Peloton patent application hints at the possibility of a newly revised Peloton Tread+ arriving in the near future. In May 2021, Peloton was forced to voluntarily recall its $4,295 connected treadmill after mechanical problems resulted in the death of a child and numerous injuries to other users. The company has been hoping to resolve that problem ever since with a fresh overhaul of the design, including a system that could prevent objects from getting pulled under.
Product Safety Professionals Announce 2023 Leadership Fundamentals Program at University of Michigan
April 2, 2023, Education News Today
The University of Michigan Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering will host the 2023 Product Safety Fundamentals program in cooperation with the Society of Product Safety Professionals (SPSP) and ADK Information Services. The fundamentals program is a basic skill building program for professionals with less than 5 years of experience in the product safety field, or experienced professionals wanting a refresher to stay current with the ongoing changes in the product safety field.
Don’t Learn The Wrong Lessons From Failure
March 29, 2023, Harvard Business Review
Past experience can offer highly valuable insight into future outcomes — but only when leveraged effectively. In this piece, the authors discuss three common traps that leaders fall into when attempting to learn from failures. To avoid these pitfalls, the authors suggest that decision-makers should analyze successes and failures in tandem, and work to identify the traits and processes that actually differentiate the two.
European Union’s AI Act, Explained
March 23, 2023, TRTWorld
In development since 2021, the EU AI Act aims to bring order and governance to the use of artificial intelligence while turning the bloc into a competitive global player where AI flourishes. The Act is expansive and will govern anyone who provides a product or a service that uses AI. But it is not a perfect solution, some argue.
New CPSC Report Shows Upward Trend In Carbon Monoxide (CO) Fatalities
March 28, 2023, cpsc.gov
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has released a new report that shows an upward trend in non-fire carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning deaths. The report, “Non-Fire Carbon Monoxide Deaths Associated with the Use of Consumer Products 2019 Annual Estimates,” covers deaths from 2009 to 2019. For 2019, there were an estimated 250 consumer product-related CO deaths in the United States – greater than any other year in the report.
New York Bans PFAS In Apparel
March 29, 2023, JD Supra
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill prohibiting the sale of apparel containing “intentionally added” per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in clothing apparel starting on January 1, 2025. Additionally, by January 1, 2027, the new law bans the sale of any new apparel unintentionally containing PFAS at an amount to be set by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in regulation.
European Commission Publishes Results Of Its 2022 Safety Gate “Safer Products For All” Report
March 30, 2023, JD Supra
With the aim of showcasing the successes of Safety Gate in ensuring product safety across the Single Market, the European Commission published the results of its 2022 Report. The Report outlines how technology, the sharing of information and close cooperation between authorities and industry can reach an even higher level of product safety for all consumers.
Charity Warns Unsafe Electricals Flooding UK Market
March 28, 2023, The Independent
Products ranging from beauty gadgets to heaters sold through online marketplaces have failed to meet safety standards amid concerns sellers are flooding the market with cheap, poor-quality electricals, This according to the charity, Electrical Safety First (ESF).
Jetson Electric Bikes Recalls 42-Volt Rogue Self-Balancing Scooters/Hoverboards Due To Fire Hazard; Two Deaths Reported
March 30, 2023, cpsc.gov
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Jetson Electric Bikes LLC, of Brooklyn, New York, are announcing the recall of about 53,000 42-volt Jetson Rogue self-balancing scooters/hoverboards. The lithium-ion battery packs in the self-balancing scooters/hoverboards can overheat, posing a fire hazard. A 10-year-old girl and her 15-year-old sister died from a fire on April 1, 2022, in Hellertown, Pennsylvania. The Hellertown Borough Fire Marshal determined that a 42-volt Jetson Rogue was the point of origin of the fire. The fire then spread from the room of origin to other portions of the house, resulting in the deaths of the two girls and smoke inhalation injuries to the girls’ parents.
