In the News: October 24, 2022

CPSC Approves New Federal Safety Standard For Dressers And Other Clothing Storage Units
October 19, 2022, Yahoo Finance
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has approved a new federal mandatory safety standard for clothing storage units that will significantly change the way clothing storage units are tested and labeled. Young children are most at risk of injury or death from tip over incidents with this type of furniture, which includes as chests, bureaus, dressers, armoires, wardrobes, chests of drawers, drawer chests, chifforobes and door chests, according to the CPSC.

CPSC Chair Hoehn-Saric And Commissioners Feldman, Trumka And Boyle Statements On The New Safety Standard On Clothing Storage Units
October 19, 2022, cpsc.gov
The Commission voted 3 to 1 to approve the standard on October 19, 2022. It takes effect 180 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

Chair Hoehn-Saric Statement
Commissioner Feldman Statement
Commissioner Trumka Statement
Commissioner Boyle Statement

How Do You Make A Decision When Every Option Looks Bad?
October 14, 2022, Knowledge@Wharton
Patagonia, the sportswear brand, made headlines this summer when its founder and CEO Yvon Chouinard announced his intention to effectively give away the multi-billion-dollar business instead of selling it. If you’ve led an organization, a function, or a team, you’ll probably be familiar with the dilemma that faced Patagonia’s leadership. There are times and situations — oftentimes, crisis situations — where the stakes are incredibly high and none of the choices ahead of you look good. How can you do what Mr. Chouinard did, and create your own solution?

Proliferation Of ‘Micromobility Vehicles’ Vie For Bus Drivers’ Attention As Collisions Up
October 18, 2022, Patch
In the six years Danny Cruz has been driving a city bus, he has been a near-daily witness to a shifting streetscape — one increasingly populated with smaller new forms of transportation. So far this year, there have been 35 collisions between New York Transit Authority buses and e-bikes or e-scooters. According to MTA statistics, that’s significantly higher than the 27 such collisions in all of 2021, when the number rose from 17 in 2020. In 2019 there were only four collisions that involved MTA buses and e-bikes or e-scooters.

Health Canada: Be Cautious When Charging Devices
October 19, 2022, Merritt Herald
Health Canada is stressing the importance of taking safety precautions when charging electrical devices. According to the group Statistics Canada and the National Fire Information Database, over 10,000 incidents of fire caused by electrical appliances and devices have occurred in Canada since 2015. The number of battery and electrical fires has increased in three of the past five years, despite the fact that lithium-ion batteries and newer electronic devices are equipped with safety features.

New Safety Standard To Protect Children From High-Powered Magnets Takes Effect
October 21, 2022, American Academy of Pediatrics
On October 21, 2022, a new safety standard took effect for high-powered magnets, which will protect children from the serious injuries or death that can occur when two or more magnets are ingested. The rule, released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission last month, puts the rigorous safety standard in place nearly six years after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit overturned the CPSC’s 2014 magnet sets rule. According to the CPSC, there were an estimated 2,500 magnet ingestions treated in emergency departments in 2021 that were caused by products that are now included in the new safety standard. 

Health Canada Recalls More Than 1.5m Hair Products Over Detection Of Cancer-Causing Chemical
October 19, 2022,
CTV Health Canada has issued a mass recall of hair products due to the detection of the cancer-causing chemical benzene. “Immediately stop using the recalled product and dispose of it in accordance with the instructions for disposal on the packaging,” Health Canada warned in a recall notice.

Responding To Regulatory Changes With Simulation Modeling And Machine Learning
October 20, 2022, AZO Materials
Engineers and scientists are interested in innovation and discovery. They rarely want to be lawyers. But, with so much focus on environmental objectives, they are increasingly having to understand and respond to regulatory constraints.

CPSC Reminds Early Holiday Shoppers To Follow These Top Safety Tips
October 18, 2022, PRNewswire
The holidays and gift-giving are still more than two months away. October is quickly becoming “Shop-tober.” As shoppers head to the malls, or before they buy online, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is reminding consumers to put safety at the top of their toy shopping list and is urging manufacturers and consumers to be vigilant, especially when it comes to buying children’s toys. 

Advocacy Group Finds High Levels Of Toxic Chemical In Sports Bras And Athletic Wear
October 20, 2022, New 7 Miami
New testing, by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), on a variety of popular branded sports bras and athletic wear has revealed high levels of BPA. The chemical compound is used to make certain types of plastic and can lead to harmful health effects such as asthma, cardiovascular disease and obesity. The CEH is a non-profit consumer advocacy group focused on exposing the presence of toxic chemicals in consumer products.

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Home, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Uncategorized