CPSC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: The Commission by a vote of 3-2 approved Publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for a Safety Standard Addressing Blade Contact Injuries on Table Saws.
Commissioner Statements:
Acting-Chair Ann Marie Buerkle (for the minority): Special technology for required performance in the proposed standard can result in a “blank check to monopolize the table saw market.” The majority refuses to wait for the results of a study underway before proposing a standard.
Commissioner Elliot Kaye (for the majority): The proposed standard could alleviate, and in most cases completely prevent the suffering of the tens of thousands of victims requiring emergency treatment annually. We are the “wrong agency” to arbitrate patent issues as part of rulemaking.
Playgrounds Shouldn’t Hurt: New CPSC playground equipment report
April 28, 2017, marketwatch.com
A new report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that from 2009 to 2014, 1.5 million injuries associated with playground equipment were treated nationally in emergency departments. Nineteen of 34 fatal playground incidents investigated during this period were the result of hanging or asphyxiation.
Samsung in the news:
>Samsung’s Galaxy S8 hits stores; firm aims to move on from Note 7 recall
April 21, 2017, business standard.com
Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 went on sale in South Korea, as the world’s biggest smartphone maker seeks to move on from a disastrous handset recall and corruption scandal that has hammered its once stellar reputation. It is the first major launch for Samsung since last year’s humiliating withdraw of the Galaxy Note 7 over exploding batteries.
>Yet more Samsung trouble: Frustrated users report Galaxy S8s are restarting by themselves
April 28, 2017, dailymail.com
In the days since Samsung released its highly anticipated Galaxy S8 model, the devices have been plagued with problems, ranging from red-tinged displays to issues with the Bixby home button. Hundreds of owners have complained that their phone keeps restarting.
Safety giant UL awarded $1 million in hoverboard trademark row
April 21, 2017, law360.com (viewer restricted reading)
A California judge ruled that a hoverboard company willfully infringed the trademark of UL LLC and awarded the testing giant $1 million, calling the need for deterrence significant because the counterfeit use of UL’s mark influenced consumer understanding of their safety.
CPSC launches “Consumer Protection Safety All-Stars”: an educational and outreach program for kids
April 25, 2017, healthnewsdigest.com
CPSC has launched a new effort to teach kids in grades 3-7 (ages 8-12) how to identify hazardous products and the way recalls work. The educational outreach offers free materials and lesson plans to teachers and youth community leaders.
Government of Canada proposes new regulations for playpens
April 21, 2017, newswrite.ca
Health Canada has proposed to replace current requirements for playpens under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act with new playpen regulations. The proposed regulations were developed to help address identified safety issues and align the majority of the Canadian requirements with those in the U.S.
Peterborough Trading Standards Whirlpool fire safety alert should be “watershed” for product recalls, MPs told
April 27, 2017, peterboroughtoday.co.uk
A Whirlpool safety alert prompted by the Standards organization should be a catalyst for a “proper” recall system in the UK, according to Labour MP Andy Slaughter. There are potentially 3 million dryers “still out there” that were subject to the safety notice about a fire risk caused by excess fluff coming into contact with the heating element. Whirlpool did not issue a product recall earlier, advising that the machines were safe to use providing they were not left unattended.
Faster, Higher, Farther: The Volkswagen Scandal is the title of the first book about company’s wrongdoings with its diesel engines
April 23, 2017, autoevolution.com
The book, written by New York Times reporter Jack Ewing, reportedly reveals the name of the whistle-blower who notified authorities that the corporation was lying to cover up a diesel emissions cheating scheme. According to Automotive News, whose editors received a review copy of the book from publisher W.W. Norton & Co., the name of the whistle-blower is Stuart Johnson. A movie is expected to be made about the Wolfsburg-based company based on the fraud.
3 years later, the Flint water crisis has changed how other cities deal with infrastructure
April 25, 2017, michicganradio.org
Three years ago the city of Flint switched to the Flint River for its drinking water. We all know how that story goes. According to David LaFrance, the CEO of the American Water Works Association, “the events that have happened in Flint have prioritized things for many of the communities; well, all of the communities we work with.”
