Recalled products sold by Home Depot after recalls were announced
May 19, 2016, GMT RSS feed
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Home Depot are warning consumers that 28 different recalled products continued to be sold by Home Depot after they were recalled between 2012 and 2015. This involves 2,310 units of recalled products, including about 1,300 sold by Home Depot to consumers, and 1,010 sent by Home Depot to salvagers or recyclers who could have sold them to consumers.
2 hoverboard fires in 2 weeks in Alabama spark safety reminders
May 21, 2016, Alabama News
The two fires occurred in Tuscaloosa. In one case, authorities said the owners plugged in their hoverboard to charge in the garage and left home. Later, neighbors heard a commotion coming from the garage and the fire was discovered. The events led authorities to remind owners to take precautions when charging electronic devices in their homes.
Commissioner Viewpoints
CPSC Commissioner Marietta Robinson Blog: An idea that came from a Saint Louis University product safety class sparked the Commissioner’s office to look further into a program to improve product recall effectiveness. The Commissioners unanimously approved an amendment introduced by Commissioners Robinson and Ann Marie Buerkle for mid-year adjustments to the FY 2016 Operational Plan, providing funding for a pilot test of a youth incentive program to increase awareness at the local level of product safety and recalls.
Safety first: regulators increase fines as injuries rise
May 17, 2016, marketwired
A recall index highlights a Q1-2016 decline in recall activity among certain sectors, even as the number of units recalled in the consumer products and automotive industries rose substantially. The Stericycle survey found that consumer product related injuries rose ten-fold over the same time last year. In addition to these trends, Q1 saw the continuation of a rise in fines issued by the CPSC.
Lawmakers reach deal to expand regulation of toxic chemicals
May 19, 2016, The New York Times
House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on far-reaching legislation to overhaul the national’s 40-year-old law governing toxic chemicals, a compromise that would subject thousands of household chemicals to regulation for the first time. Under current law, about 64,000 chemicals are not subject to environmental testing or regulation.
Teaching the Board how to oversee and monitor compliance
May 17, 2016, jdsupra.com
Board members believe they know what they need to know, and increasingly their focus is on compliance issues. The chief compliance officer plays a critical role in this education process, beginning with Board member understanding of the importance and relevance of information they receive. Internal investigations weigh heavily in this process, and board members, not appreciating surprises, should be informed early on about such matters.
Glyphosate license amid cancer row
May 19, 2016, CNBC
The European Union delayed a vote on renewing sales approval for the pesticide glyphosate, used in Monsanto’s popular weed-killer Roundup, amid a transatlantic row over whether it may cause cancer. Experts for U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) said glyphosate is unlikely to pose a risk to human exposed to it through food, a finding that matches that of the European Food Safety Authority. The finding runs counter to a 2015 study by WHO’s Lyon-based International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Indiana survey reveals lead water lines
May 17, 2016, The Journal Gazette
Nearly 100,000 customers of Indiana’s largest water systems have service lines made of lead or lead components, according to a recent newspaper report. The Indianapolis Star cites an Indiana Department of Environmental Management it obtained that showed 91 of the state’s largest water systems have an estimated 8 per cent with lead or lead components, increasing concern throughout the state. Amid actions taken in other communities following the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, Chicago Public Schools announced the expansion of a testing program after finding one school out of 32 buildings tested had positive results for lead in school water.
In brand we trust: How recalls at Trader Joes, Costco can enhance customer engagement
May 18, 2016, Forbes
Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and Costco are among major grocery retail chains affected by a recall of 358 frozen food products under 42 fruit and vegetable brands. While most headlines address the dangers of food contamination, the recall also serves as one more reminder of the highly effective role retailers and their loyalty programs could play in preventing illnesses.
GM will pay owners of crossovers over mileage labels
May 20, 2016, Detroit Free Press
The company is offering between $450 and $900 or an extended warranty to about 135,000 owners of 2016 model crossover vehicles that carried window stickers that overstated their fuel economy by 1 to 2 miles per gallon. The company said that the discrepancy was related to new emission-related hardware in the vehicles.
