Federal judge orders Spectrum Brands to pay $1.9 million fine
October 5, 2017, Wisconsin State Journal
Middleton-based Spectrum Brands has been ordered to pay $1.9 million in civil penalties for waiting too long to report a defect in Black & Decker SpaceMaker coffee carafes that resulted in injuries to nearly 70 people, and for continuing to sell the carafes even after they were recalled. Spectrum Brands — a consumer products company whose products include Rayovac batteries, Remington shavers and George Foreman grills — said it has not decided yet if it will appeal.
Senate committee OKs Buerkle to lead Consumer Product Safety Commission
October 5, 2017, Auburn Citizen
Auburn native Ann Marie Buerkle is one step closer to being confirmed as chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation approved Buerkle’s nomination Wednesday. The final hurdle for President Trump’s nominee to head the agency will be the full Senate, which is expected to confirm her as chair.
Blog: San Francisco moves to protect children from flame retardant chemicals
October 5, 2017, Enviroblog
San Francisco could soon become the first U.S. city to prohibit chemical flame retardants in all new upholstered furniture and children’s products sold in the city, including online sales. A proposed ordinance under consideration by the Board of Supervisors would ban added flame retardants from kids’ products including play and nap mats, nursing pads, changing pads, infant seats, highchair pads and strollers. The proposal, expected to come up for a vote Oct. 17.
Reducing the CPSC regulatory burden for apparel firms
October 4, 2017, Just-Style
A group representing U.S. apparel and footwear retailers and importers has submitted a number of suggestions to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on how to reduce regulatory burden without harming consumers, including exempting spandex from flammability testing standards.
National PSA launched to alert parent of potential window cord dangers
October 2, 2017, Marketwatch
The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are using a national public service announcement campaign to urge consumers to check their window coverings for exposed or dangling cords which can pose a strangulation hazard to infants and young children. WCSC, CPSC and safety experts strongly recommend that consumers use only cordless window coverings or window coverings with inaccessible cords in homes with young children.
Toy Association takes position on final phthalates rule and ban on flame retardants
September 25, 2017, Toy Association
On September 20, the CPSC voted to grant a petition to initiate rulemaking banning organohalogen flame retardants (OFRs) in children’s products (including toys), mattresses, upholstered furniture, and external casings of electronics. A Toy Association statement says, “To the best of (its) knowledge, these flame retardants are not intentionally added to toys; however, they are an essential element of preventing fires from electric and electronic components of toys. The Toy Association submitted comments on behalf of the industry in 2016 urging the CPSC to deny the petition since an acceptable alternative to ensure the safety of these products has not been found.”
Op-Ed: Proposition 65 warning: Too many warning signs can be bad for your health
September 30, 2017, L.A. Times
Starbucks, Whole Foods and about 80 other places in California that sell coffee may soon be forced to put on warning labels to alert consumers that the product within contains acrylamide, a chemical that may be carcinogenic. Wait a minute. Coffee causes cancer? Actually, research increasingly points to the opposite conclusion.
Potential Legislation on the Horizon Following Major Data Breaches
October 5, 2017, National Law Review (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP)
In the wake of several major data breaches over the last several months, new data security and data breach notification bills have been introduced in the US Congress, and others may also be in progress. Two key bills currently introduced are: 1) Bill S. 1815, the Data Broker Accountability and Transparency Act of 2017 (DBAT Act), which would set new accountability and transparency requirements for data brokers selling consumers’ sensitive information; and 2) Bill H.R. 3806, the Personal Data Notification and Protection Act of 2017 (PDNP Act), which would provide for a single national data breach notification standard.
Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) Market worth 247.94 Billion USD by 2023
October 6, 2017, 4-Traders
According to the new research report ‘Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) Marketby Service Type (Testing, Inspection, Certification), Sourcing Type (In-house and Outsourced), Application (Consumer Goods & Retail, Agriculture & Food, Chemicals), and Geography – Global Forecast to 2023′, the testing, inspection and certification (TIC) market is expected to be worth USD 247.94 Billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 5.02% from USD 184.77 Billion in 2017. The growth of this market is mainly driven by harmonization of standards, growing consumption of goods in emerging countries, increasing incidents of product recalls globally, surge in global counterfeiting and piracy activities, and imposition of rigorous government regulations and standards across various sectors.
Q4 Barometer: Manufacturing Peak Season Brings New Quality and Ethical Challenges
October 4, 2017, Asiainspection
The peak season’s tighter shipping deadlines are definitely putting a strain on ethical compliance. Third-quarter data from AI factory audits shows the percentage of fully-compliant (“Green”) factories dropping to 30% across the board (compared to the 2016 average of 34%), while the share of factories with critical non-compliances increased by almost a third, to 34.7% from the 2016 figure of 27.3%. Corrective action in the medium term is necessary in the remaining 35.3% factories, which received an “Amber” score. Data shows that of all the major ethical issues, manufacturers are still struggling with working hours and wages compliance the most, achieving average scores of 6.4 out of 10 in this category (compared to 7.3/10 at the end of 2016).
