Civil penalties across all federal agencies set to increase significantly by August, 2016
May 6, 2016, The National Law Review
An adjustment for monetary penalties under various acts will be in effect as approved by Congress through the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, the “Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvement Acts of 2015.” Section 701 requires federal agencies to annually update “each civil monetary penalty provided by law within the jurisdiction of the Federal Agency. This includes the False Claims Act, Office of Safety and Health Administration violations, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.” Because most agencies have not adjusted their civil penalty amounts in many years, there will be a one-time “catch up adjustment” in 2016.
CPSC: Continues process for extension of gathering compliance information for full size cribs and non full size cribs
May 2, 2016, Federal Register
The Consumer Product Safety Commission as announced that it has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a request for extension of approval for the collection of information regarding a form that will be used to measure child care centers’ compliance with the CPSC safety standards for full size and non-full size cribs (16CFR parts 1219 and 1220). Comments about this request should be submitted to OMB by June 1, 2016.
Christie: All N.J. school water fountains to be tested for lead
May 2, 2016, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
New Jersey will test the water in its 3,000 schools for lead exposure beginning later this year and publicly release the findings, Gov. Chris Christy has announced, two months after results from 30 schools in Newark found lead levels as high as 35 times above the federal action limit.
DOT expands and accelerates Takata air bag inflator recall to an estimated 35-40 million inflators
May 4, 2016, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expanding the recall of Takata air bags, following the agency’s confirmation of the root cause behind the inflator’s propensity to rupture, which has been responsible for 10 deaths and 100 injuries in the U.S. An Amended Consent Order issued by NHTSA requires Takata to “make a series of safety defect decisions that will support vehicle manufacturer recall campaigns of an additional estimated 35-40 million inflators, on top of the 28.8 million inflators previously recalled.” The expansions are planned to take place in phases between now and December 20, 2019. The decision left one industry analyst searching for answers as to what complications might be ahead for franchised dealerships
PouchPop re-launched after design fault
March 31, 2016 Beverage Daily
A manufacturer has redesigned and re-launched its product after a design fault led to the packaging material splitting at the curve of the infant self-feeding straw. Upon learning of the defect, the company did a voluntary recall, worked with a third party engineering firm to determine root cause, and collaborated with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They selected a new supply, restarted production, and then announced the re-launch.
FDA imposes rules on e-cigarettes in a landmark move
May 5, 2016, The New York Times
After years of debate, the health risks of electronic cigarettes, the federal government made it final: they need to be regulated and kept out of the hands of children. The FDA issued sweeping new rules that for the first time extend federal regulatory authority to e-cigarettes, banning the sale to anyone under 18 and requiring that adults under the age of 26 show a photo identification to buy them.
Innovative social media marketing cannot overlook old fashioned compliance
May 5, 5016, jdsupra.com
Retailer Lord & Taylor has learned the hard way that legal rules that govern traditional marketing also apply to social marketing. The Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with the retailer involving its online advertising practices, including not disclosing their role in a promotional effort on an influencer Instagram post, and failure to disclose or adequately disclose that the influencers were paid endorsers.
Rising production costs in China: Pakistan can be new apparel hub: WB Report
May 5, 2016, Pakistan Today
A World Bank report says that the rising cost of production in China is forcing international buyers to look towards other countries for procuring apparel. South Asian states, including Pakistan, are positioned to benefit from the shift. The report, “Stitches to Riches: Apparel Employment, Trade and Economic Development in South Asia.” Recommends that Pakistan remove remove trade restrictions to allow easy access to man=made fibers, increase efficiencies, and improve compliance by introducing better human resource practices.
Blog: New regulations could make inflatable bounce castles safer
May 4, 2016, Consumer Affairs
A blogger has been tracking injuries, suffocations, and even deaths due to inflatable bounce houses that experience sudden deflation events that can be caused by anything that detaches the blower from the castle. Now, she reports, a device that could help warn that an inflatable bounce house is at risk of deflation may become mandatory.
Spring safety tips from the Toy Industry Association
May 2, 2016, Examiner
TIA’s Joan Lawrence, an industry leader in product safety, shares a list of safety-focused topics for parents and care givers for children at this time of year. In this interview, she also reflects on her career, and how her background in psychology, including developmental psychology, led her to enter the toy industry, where she quickly gravitated toward product safety.
Understanding the Chinese consumer: how to master customer service in China
May 5, 2016, smartcompany.com.au
As China continues its transition from manufacturing to an economy powered by consumption, its appetite for safe, premium goods and services is on track to increase exponentially. An international trade consultant explains some of the key factors for those companies developing a growth strategy in China. They include increasing a focus on product quality, authenticity, and originality, as well as developing an understanding of the cultural drivers behind customer loyalty.
NGOs demand action, not words on nanotechnology
April 26, 2016, anec.eu news release
In a news release issued recently in Brussels, NGOs, consumer groups, and research organizations expressed “disappointment” with the European Commissioners “continuing failure” to propose adequate measures for the collection and publication of information about nanomaterials on the EU market. The commission decided against an EU nanomaterial registry, opting instead to task the European Chemicals Agency to develop a nanomaterial observatory.
