WORD MATTERS AND TIP-OVERS*:
*Shifting CPSC Recall Landscape? Agency Announces Major “Repair Program” that is not Labeled a “Recall”
July 23, 2015, The National Law Review
A recent announcement of a “repair program” by IKEA and the CPSC addresses the serious hazard of furniture tip-overs. What is significant about this action, according to a team of regulatory attorneys, is that it touches the core of an argument in the regulatory environment: “not every voluntary corrective action must or should be called a ‘recall’.”
*‘Recall or Repair’? Advocates Question IKEA Action
July 31, 2015, Philadelphia Inquirer
The word choice of “repair” rather than “recall” to describe the recent announcement by IKEA and the CPSC has riled safety advocates and former regulators who say the decision goes beyond semantics. “The word repair does not convey the hazard and the potential tragedy,” according to a former CPSC executive director.
*Home Furniture Accidents Kill One Australia Child and Injure Hundreds More Each Year
August 1, 2015, news.com.au
Research in Australia shows that 1 in 4 parents of young children surveyed by the ACCC had experienced a falling furniture incident. A recent retail location inspection of 10 different sites by a safety consultant showed that only IKEA supplied anchor kits with chests and bookcases.
Appliance Manufacturer LG Agrees to $1.825M Maximum Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Defective Dehumidifiers
July 22, 2015, CPSC
Fire caused by the defective products resulted in millions of dollars in property damage, while creating a “defect and an unreasonable risk of serious injury with several models.” Occurrences were reported starting in 2003, leading to maximum civil penalty in effect at that time, prior to new penalty levels introduced by CPSIA in 2008. By the time products were recalled in 2012, there were 107 incidents reported.
Consumer Protection Bill Cleared
July 30, 2015, Business Standard
A new bill in India proposes to set up a regulatory authority having powers to recall products and initiate class action suits against defaulting companies, including e–tailers in this, the world’s largest, democracy.
ACCC to Master Builders: “We’re not responsible for building product regulation.”
July 31, 2015, Architecture & Design
The head of ACCC clarifies in an industry speech that while the safety agency encourages safety-based procurement practices, concerns about non-compliant products should be directed at specialist regulators.
Developing a Product Liability Program
July 30, 2015, Quality Digest
Companies may hold design reviews, but there’s much more to building a product liability program, according to one authority in the field.
Supply Chain in the 21st Century
July 28, 2015, I-Connect007
The shift away from vertical integration has pushed the topic of supply chain to the forefront of strategic planning for manufacturers. While supply chains have been around for thousands of years, only recently have companies ‘been concerned with what was happening in their own “sandbox.” A lack of understanding has sometimes led to dysfunctional supply chains threatening quality and deliveries.
How FDA Trans Fat Ban Threatens the U.S. Food Supply Chain
July 28, 2015, Food Logistics
The agency’s ban on partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) as a health risk to humans, can affect the entire supply chain of manufacturers, according to one attorney. Compliance requirements may result in the need to renegotiate contracts, face increase costs of verification of compliance, as well as understand the risk issues associated with violations of the FDA rules caused by one or more suppliers.
