‘It’s Just a Nightmare.’ Despite tariff delay, toy makers are worried
August 15, 2019, New York Times
Toymakers breathed a little easier this week when President Trump announced plans to delay tariffs on many goods from China — but their relief may not last long. Yet toymakers are already looking ahead to next year’s holiday season, and fretting about the crippling uncertainty that the president’s on-again, off-again trade policy has created for them.
FAA bans MacBook Pro models from flights; Apple recalled them in June
August 14, 2019, USA Today
Heads up, travelers, the Federal Aviation Administration has banned certain MacBook Pro laptops in checked or carry-on bags; Apple recalled them in June. “The FAA is aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some Apple MacBook Pro laptops,” the Federal Aviation Administration told USA TODAY in a statement on Wednesday. “In early July, we alerted airlines about the recall, and we informed the public. We issued reminders to continue to follow instructions about recalls.” .”
Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle’s Letter to All 50 Governors to Change Building Codes for Residential Elevators
August 6, 2019, cpsc.gov
CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle wrote to all 50 state governors in the U.S. seeking “assistance in protecting consumers in your State from a serious hazard associated with residential elevators. Specifically, some elevators installed in your jurisdiction may have excessive space between the elevator car door/gate (car door) and the hoist way or swing door (hoist way door). In some installations, the space between the elevator car door and hoist way door is large enough to allow children to fit between the closed doors. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff is aware of a total of nine (9) incidents associated with this product, including five fatalities involving entrapments between car and hoist way doors of residential elevators and a sixth where a toddler was trapped beneath the elevator.”
E-scooter craze has European cities scrambling for new safety laws
August 14, 2019, Associated Press (Washington Post)
Ban them? Issue speeding tickets? Make users take a driving test? European cities are searching for solutions to the two-wheeled phenomenon that’s fast transforming cityscapes worldwide: Electric scooters. Fans call them a leap into the future, a thrilling, app-based way to zip from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, without generating planet-choking pollution.
Rubbish, say critics, noting growing numbers of injuries and even deaths involving e-scooters.
4 ways to guarantee an on-time launch for your new product
August 14, 2019, Forbes
For consumer goods and retail brands, few events are more important than the launch of a new product. When done right, a new product can attract new customers, incentivize existing users to make an additional purchase and even help your company attract valuable free press.
However, the sheer number of things that can go awry make launching a new product often seem intimidating—especially for relatively new businesses. In fact, the Harvard Business Review reports that only 25% of product launches are considered successful.
Child-resistant Packaging: FDA finalizes guidance
August, 2019, Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday finalized guidance on child-resistant packaging (CRP) statements that should be included in the labeling of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The seven-page final guidance comes two years after FDA released the draft version for comment. FDA says it considered the comments submitted to the public docket and has edited the guidance for clarity.
Under US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations, certain consumer products, including many prescription and OTC drugs, are subject to special packaging standards.
California defies White House plan to scrap ban on controversial pesticide
August 15, 2019, Phys.org
California will outlaw the use of a pesticide linked to developmental problems in humans after President Donald Trump’s administration scrapped plans for a nationwide ban, state health officials said Wednesday. The decision to ban chlorpyrifos in the agriculturally rich state follows “mounting evidence” of serious health effects for exposed children and other vulnerable people, two California health agencies said in a statement.
Furniture flame retardants may not stifle deadliest home fires
August 15, 2019, Reuters
Targeting the flammability of smoking materials like cigarettes, pipes and cigars, rather than fireproofing all furniture with hazardous chemicals, may be a more effective way of reducing the most deadly residential fires, a U.S. study concludes. Although fires that start on furniture account for only 2.2% of residential fires, they carry significantly higher odds than others for injury and death, researchers report in the American Journal of Public Health. And among these furniture fires, those ignited by smoking materials are 3.4 times more likely to be lethal than those caused by open flames like candles.
Restrictions could mean some consumers will miss important recalls
August 14, 2019, WRAL.com
A Consumer Reports study revealed surprising restrictions placed upon the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the agency responsible for protecting people from dangerous products. If the government determines deaths are linked to a potentially hazardous product, one would think that information should always be made public. But Section 6-B of the Consumer Product Safety Act says otherwise. “Section 6-B requires the CPSC, in most cases, to get permission from manufacturers before releasing their names or any information that could reveal their identities, even when products are linked with injuries or fatalities,” said Rachel Rabkin Peachman, an investigative reporter with Consumer Reports.
How should ethics factor into your brand identity
August 15, 2019, Forbes
There are a few different ways to make ethics a part of your core brand identity. No matter what, you’ll position your brand in a way that aligns it with a certain moral philosophy, socially responsible cause, or commitment to ethical practices. To be effective, this needs to be unique. It can’t be something like “non-discriminatory hiring practices” — this is an ethical choice we expect all businesses to follow.
