Lumber Liquidators is profitable again after more than two years
August 1, 2017, USA Today
Shares of the flooring retailer spiked 32% recently after the company reported that it returned to profitability after more than two years of financial and operational problems. The Toano, Va.-based company, which operates 385 stores, spent $92.3 million in various expenses, higher than a year ago, as it continues to pay out legal fees and settlement expenses in connection with lawsuits and regulatory issues stemming from its China-made products.
Samsung steps up battery safety with ‘unprecedented’ test suites
Augusts 6, 2017, digitaljournal.com
Samsung has opened up about its failings with the Galaxy Note 7 and how it has responded to the crisis since the phone’s global recall. Company executives say Samsung is committed to greater transparency around battery safety. Samsung now follows an 8-point battery safety check for all its new devices.
Fidget spinner toys pose risk of serious injury, tests show
August 2, 2017, The Guardian
A sample of the plastic gadgets were tested by experts and failed basic toy safety standards, with some found to have edges sharp enough to puncture skin and even eyes. This has led to warnings about the popular toys by trading standards officers, as unscrupulous manufacturers seek to cash in on the phenomenon. Many are being sold cheaply on market stalls and at car boot sales
Joint Statement of CPSC Commissioners congratulating Ann Marie Buerkle on her nomination to be the next Chairman of the CPSC
July 25, 2017, cpsc.gov
Chairman–designate Buerkle’s Commission colleagues congratulate her and “look forward to continuing to work with soon-to-be Chairman Buerkle in the coming years.”
Commissioner Robinson: Journey for safety: data, consumer products, advanced technology & Israel
August 2, 2017, cpsc.gov
Reporting on her recent visit to Israel, Commissioner Marietta Robinson explains her goals for the trip: (1) gathering information on improving data collection and analysis for consumer product incidents, injuries, and deaths; (2) educating those engrossed in the R&D economy about consumer product safety challenges to inspire solutions; (3) informing entrepreneurs from “The Start-up Nation” about the many possible consumer product safety consequences to new, innovative, and technologically advanced products; and (4) learning more about the Israeli standards development process.
California’s Prop 65: More form over substance
July 31, 2017, The National Law Review (Mintz, Levin)
Monsanto’s recent challenge on whether the state of California can list glyphosate, used in its popular weed-killer, on the state’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer its popular weed-killer was unsuccessful in the trial court. Therefore, glyphosate is being added to the Proposition 65 list on July 7, 2017. The authors note that one take-away from the trial court’s decision and subsequent decisions is that: “Irrespective of any legitimate scientific debate whether a chemical actually causes cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm, if the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment process is followed, businesses will have to warn or else face the myriad enforcement issues created by Prop 65.”
Warning: New Proposition 65 Warning Regulations Taking Effect
August 2, 2017, Morrison & Foerster
A year from now, dramatic changes to California’s Proposition 65 warning regulations take full effect. The new regulations (formally published by the State in August 2016) significantly alter the “safe harbor” rules for providing Prop 65 warnings. Companies that have not yet started preparing for the implications of these new rules will need to do so before the new regulations go into full effect on August 30, 3018.
VW’s dieselgate woes mount as EU sends fraud report to prosecutors
August 1, 2017, Fortune
The EU anti-fraud office investigating whether Volkswagen used EU funds and European Investment Bank (EIB) loans to develop devices that cheated emission tests has sent its findings and recommendations to German prosecutors, in a move that could deepen its legal jeopardy.
Ohio requires state inspections of carnival rides — many states don’t
July 27, 2017, Cleveland.com
Ohio requires state inspections of carnival rides — many states don’t, according to a May 2016 oregonlive.com report. Some states, like Alabama, had virtually no regulation, while others, like Texas, required third-party inspections.
As Trump denies science, California needs to step in
July 30, 2017, Sacramento Bee
Given the Trump administration’s adversity to science, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency director Scott Pruitt’s decision to allow the continued use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos seemed almost preordained. In March, Pruitt concluded that the science addressing the neurodevelopmental effects of chlorpyrifos are unresolved, and put off a decision until 2022. It was a reversal.
