Chair Hoehn-Saric: CPSC To Prioritize Mandatory Standards For Portable Generators, Table Saws, Furnaces And Other Products In 2024
November 9, 2023, cpsc.gov
The Commission voted to approve an Operating Plan for Fiscal Year 2024 that sets the path for the agency’s work over the coming fiscal year. Chair Hoehn-Saric notes in statement: “As approved, the Plan will focus the agency on longstanding priorities to finalize mandatory standards for portable generators, table saws, furnaces, nursing pillows, infant and toddler rockers, and infant support cushions. We will also start essential work on new or updated standards for lithium-ion battery safety, water beads, infant water floats, and bassinets.”
Commissioner Statements
Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric’s statement
Commissioner Peter Feldman’s statement
Commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr.’s statement
Federal Staffers Recommend Major Design Changes To Infant Loungers After The Deaths Of Dozens Of Babies
November 8, 2023, NBC News
Staff at the Consumer Product Safety Commission have proposed a major redesign of most baby loungers and similar infant cushions, citing 79 deaths from 2010 to 2022 — most of which occurred after babies were placed to sleep on the pillowy products. If adopted, the proposal would create the first federal safety requirements for infant loungers, which are intended to provide a place for caregivers to safely put their babies down while awake and supervised. The new requirements would also apply to crib pillows, head positioners and nursing pillows that are marketed as loungers and other infant support cushions.
House Republicans Demand Answers From Biden Admin. On ‘Major’ New Gas Furnace Rule
November 9, 2023, Fox Business
Republican members on the House Small Business Committee are criticizing the Consumer Product Safety Commission for a proposed rule for residential furnaces and boilers that they say could hit small businesses’ bottom line to the tune of $13.8 million per company. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas., Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo. and Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., wrote the letter to CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric, stating that the proposed rule would impact small businesses in a major way. The proposed rule would require all residential “vented gas furnaces, boilers, wall furnaces, and floor furnaces” to have a way of monitoring the concentration of carbon monoxide produced during the combustion process.
How To Stop Taking Work So Personally
October 20, 2023, Harvard Business Review
Taking things personally at work is not a sign of weakness, but a reflection of your passion, commitment, and deep sense of responsibility. But what if your professional role has become too intertwined with your sense of self. While equating your value as a person with your performance at work is common, it’s also possible to break free from the pattern. In this article, the author offers five strategies for how to approach situations with more objectivity so that you can navigate your professional journey with greater clarity, balance, and effectiveness.
Bike Helmet Standards: CPSC, EN 1078, NTA 8776
November 8, 2023, Cyclezone.org
Whether you’re a casual rider, a commuter, or an adrenaline-driven mountain biker, your helmet is your first line of defense in an accident. However, not all helmets are created equal. Standards like CPSC, EN 1078, and NTA 8776 are not just random combinations of letters and numbers—they are vital benchmarks that ensure your helmet can truly protect you. In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission standard is a mandatory certification for all bike helmets. The CPSC standard tests for various impact scenarios, ensuring that helmets can absorb force effectively, have secure straps, and don’t obstruct peripheral vision.
AAP Says Hearing Loss Is A ‘Public Health Hazard’ Parents Need To Be Proactive About
November 8, 2023, Motherly
When parents think about protecting their kids’ hearing, they tend to think of using ear protection headphones at firework shows, concerts, sporting events and monster truck shows in arenas. But the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) shared a statement saying those events aren’t the only things we should be taking into consideration when it comes to protecting our children’s hearing. The statement shared findings of research and studies done by experts, and the typical culprits of irreversible hearing damage and loss are things kids use possibly every day.
Western Australia Commissioner’s Blog: Know Your Rechargeable Battery Risks
November 8, 2023, Government of Western Australia If you have a mobile phone, laptop, electric toothbrush, eScooter, eBike, any power tools, or solar power backup storage, you need to know how to reduce potentially deadly fire risks lurking in their batteries. These common household items use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries which can be highly flammable. If these batteries are used incorrectly, or are damaged, they can overheat, explode and cause fires that can be dangerous and difficult to extinguish. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) saw a 92% increase in reported lithium-ion battery-related incidents in 2022 compared to 2020.
Opinion: We Need Product Safety Regulations For Social Media
November 10, 2023, Scientific American
As social media more frequently exposes people to brutality and untruths, we need to treat it like a consumer product, and that means product safety regulations. The events in Israel and Gaza have served as a reminder that social media is, before anything else, a consumer product. And like any other mass consumer product, using it carries big risks.
Commissioner Feldman Says: Higher Number Of Recalls In 2023 Reflects CPSC Enforcement Efforts
November 10, 2023, The Hill
Peter A. Feldman, Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a statement this month, indicating the agency issued more than 300 recalls in fiscal year 2023, a 20% increase over last year. According to Feldman, the 2021 CPSC operating budget, which had been stagnant for years before that point, allowed the agency to obtain more funding for both the headquarters and field operations. This allowed the enforcement division to add more staff, provide new case management tools and resources, and reinstate the Children’s Product Defect Team.
Senate Bill Aims To Codify NIST AI Risk Management Framework For Agencies
November 6, 2023, MeriTalk
Just days after President Biden signed a new executive order (EO) on AI, two senators introduced a bill to give that White House measure more teeth. The Federal Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Act – introduced by Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., on Nov. 2 – would require Federal agencies to follow the safety standards developed earlier this year in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) AI Risk Management Framework (RMF).
House Republicans Demand Answers From Biden Admin. On ‘Major’ New Gas Furnace Rule
November 9, 2023, Fox Business
Republican members on the House Small Business Committee are criticizing the Consumer Product Safety Commission for a proposed rule for residential furnaces and boilers that they say could hit small businesses’ bottom line to the tune of $13.8 million per company. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas., Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo. and Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., wrote the letter to CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric, stating that the proposed rule would impact small businesses in a major way. The proposed rule would require all residential “vented gas furnaces, boilers, wall furnaces, and floor furnaces” to have a way of monitoring the concentration of carbon monoxide produced during the combustion process.
