CPSC Chair To Meta CEO: “Strengthen Meta’s Efforts To Prevent The Posting Of Banned And Recalled Consumer Products For Sale On Meta Platforms”
July 13, 2022, cpsc.gov
In a July 13 letter to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric wrote: “Given the resulting threat to the public health and safety, and the considerable resources and technological expertise of Meta, I urge you to take stronger efforts to identify and prevent the listing of such banned and recalled products before they are offered for sale on your site. This would save lives and prevent needless injuries.”

Q2 2022 Recall Activity: Consumer Product Recalls Ups And Downs
August 17, 2022, Sedgwick
The Sedgwick brand protection recall index shows some ups and downs in Q2. The annual Recall consumer product recalls fell 15.6% in Q2 (from 77 in Q1, to 65). While total impacted units fell 3.5% (to 6.7M) in Q2, the average recall size increased 14.3% (to 103.3K) in the current report. The annual recall index is a vital resource for manufacturers, suppliers and retailers who need an unbiased and educated perspective on past, present and future recall data and product safety trends. The full report is featured in this week’s Product Safety Education newsletter. 

Build Learning Into Your Employees’ Workflow
July 11, 2022, Harvard Business Review  
Effective Learning and Development (L&D) programs are critical for the success of both employees and their employers. Research suggests that an approach known as “learning in the flow of work” can help ensure that learners retain and apply new skills and concepts in their day-to-day workflows. Ultimately, the author argues that to build L&D that works, employers must invest in programs that emphasize ROI, encouraging employees to learn not in the abstract, but directly in the flow of work.

Breakthrough Might Break Down PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’
August 19, 2022, Heath Day
PFAS compounds are known as “forever chemicals” because they degrade slowly in the environment and accumulate in the body, potentially harming human and animal health. Until now. A team of researchers say they’ve figured out a cheap, easy and effective way to break down two of the major classes of PFAS compounds, leaving behind harmless end products.

Ironic: United Airlines sends breast cancer awareness scarf with (cancer warning) to staffers
August 17, 2022, New York Post
United Airlines sent their employees scarves that flight attendants are required to wear during October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month. And, shockingly, the scarves with tiny pink ribbons carried warnings that they might contain chemicals that can lead to cancer or reproductive harm.

Parents Urged To Watch Out For ‘Dangerous’ Kids’ Toys Flooding The UK From Abroad
August 19, 2022, My London
Parents have been urged not to buy replicas of a popular children’s soft toy after a London council found them to be “potentially dangerous”. The Huggy Wuggy toys, which are from the video game Poppy Playtime, failed essential safety requirements.

Mandatory Safety Standards For Sling Carriers Updated
August 18, 2022, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.C.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a direct final rule updating the current mandatory safety standards for sling carriers to incorporate by reference ASTM’s 2022 version of the voluntary standard (ASTM F2970-22) while retaining the additional requirement for warning label attachment. The updated standards will apply from Nov. 19 unless the CPSC receives significant adverse comment by Sept. 19, in which case it will withdraw the direct final rule before its effective date.

California To Roll Out Safety Standards For E-Bike Riders
August 19, 2022, San Diego Union-Tribune
The California Highway Patrol will develop safety standards for e-bike riders under legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom recently. The law, AB 1946, requires the Highway Patrol to develop statewide safety guidelines and training programs covering topics including general e-bike safety, emergency maneuver skills, rules of the road and laws on electronic bicycles.

Alcohol Drinking Test Launched
August 19, 2022, TTI
Micro-mobility provider Tier has unveiled a new bespoke in-app test to deter riders from drink riding and to point them towards an alternative form of transport if they have been drinking alcohol. Designed to encourage riders to check their sobriety, the test asks them to match the angle of their phone with an angle displayed on a screen. 

Motherboard Recall Only Affects Limited Countries
August 18, 2022, OC3D.net
On August 18, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a statement regarding the recall of ASUS’s ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard due to “Fire and Burn Hazards. ASUS has confirmed to us that products the model number “90MB18E0-MVAAY0” have never been made available in the UK, EU, and APEC regions. So immediately, most ASUS customers can breathe a sigh of relief. 

New Product Safety Requirements Ahead For Button Cell And Coin Batteries
August 19, 2022, Sandler, Travis, & Rosenberg, P.A.
President Biden has signed legislation that requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate no later than Aug. 16, 2023, a final consumer product safety standard for button cell or coin batteries as well as consumer products containing such batteries. The safety standard must include a performance standard requiring the button cell or coin battery compartments of a consumer product containing such batteries to be secured in a manner that would eliminate or adequately reduce the risk of injury from button or coin cell battery ingestion by children that are six years of age or younger during reasonably foreseeable use or misuse conditions.

What Companies Regulated By The FDA Need To Know About The Consumer Product Safety Commission
August 10, 2022, JD Supra
If your company deals in FDA-regulated products, the last thing you want is to add another set of government rules to your compliance burden. However, as numerous companies can attest, it pays to familiarize yourself with CPSC’s regulations.

To Speak Out Or Remain Silent? Tech Ethics Still Roils Industry
August 10, 2022, Fox 28
When faced with unethical business practices, the question for many employees becomes: Do I speak out or remain silent — and what are the costs for either action? Employees regularly encounter complex ethical issues related to big date, computer privacy, artificial intelligence and other issues. The stakes are high; guidance low.

Solving Tough Problems Requires A Mindset Shift
August 9, 2022, Harvard Business Review
Leaders face a daily barrage of competing demands and multiple stakeholders with different opinions and incentives. The authors provide a three-step process for solving tough problems by adopting a paradox mindset — a comfort and willingness to accept competing demands as a potential source of new ideas and opportunities.

As Kids Prepare To Head Back To School, Doctors Reveal Heavy Backpacks Have To Go
August 10, New York Post
When it comes to your child’s backpack for school this year, experts are saying, “Lighten the load!” The Consumer Product Safety Commission says an estimated annual average of 7,500 kids under 19 years old were treated in ERs for injuries related to backpacks from 2017-2019. 

Ireland: Two Deaths, 42 Serious Injuries Due To E-Scooter Collisions Since 2020
August 10, 2022, The Irish Times
Two people have died and 42 more suffered serious injuries from collisions involving e-scooters since the start of 2020.The figures released by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) come as work continues on long-awaited legislation to regulate e-scooter use amid the growing popularity of the mode of transport in recent years.

Woman Killed On South Carolina Beach By Umbrella Caught Up In Gust Of Wind
August 11, 2022, Fox News
A beach umbrella’s wide canopy allows it to get caught up in a strong wind if it is not anchored properly, while the spiked end poses a danger, says the Consumer Product Safety Commission. About 3,000 people are injured by beach umbrellas every year, according to the Agency.

Guidance: Placing Manufactured Products On The Market In Great Britain
August 10, 2022, UK.gov
An individual, fully manufactured product is placed on the market when it’s first made available for distribution, consumption or use on the GB market in the course of a commercial activity, whether in return for payment or free of charge. This requires an offer or agreement for the transfer of ownership, possession, or any other property right of an individual product, after the stage of manufacture is complete.

Toy Safety Guidelines For Kids Before Choosing
August 10, 2022, ToyHobbyRetailer
Toys are made with a focus on safety, yet no toy is entirely risk-free. These guidelines guide you in selecting and maintaining safe toys. Then, share them with your kids’ caretakers and grandparents to make their homes and presents safer.

As E-Scooter Industry Matures, Riders Move From Renting To Buying
August 11, 2022, San Francisco Examiner
Oliver Bruce, a tech investor and the co-host of the Micromobility Podcast, also sees the transition to personally owned e-scooters as a logical development. High per-ride prices, strict caps on the number of vehicles they can deploy and other regulations imposed by cities have hampered the growth of shared scooter companies.

Opinion: ‘Made In China’ Clothes Poison The World: Hidden Stories Revealed
August 8, 2022, The BL
In 2021, Canadian scientists found that a children’s jacket, sold by Chinese retailer Shein, contained a dangerously high level of lead. It was almost 20 times the safety threshold stated by Health Canada. CBC News highlighted that lead, a popular chemical used for dyeing fabrics, can cause damaging health effects to the brain, heart, kidneys, and reproductive system, with children and pregnant women the most at risk. 

Statement Of Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric On The CPSC’s Settlement With TJX
August 2, 2022, CPSC.gov
The $13 million civil penalty is near the statutory maximum CPSC could have sought had the agency pursued the case in court.  This cap on CPSC’s civil penalty authority, however, is a serious impediment to the agency’s efforts to deter large corporate actors from violating consumer protect laws.  With the market capitalization of the largest retailers calculated in the billions, a penalty of $13 million or even $100 million could easily become a cost of doing businesses.  In order to best protect the public, I urge Congress to remove or dramatically increase the existing limits on CPSC’s civil penalty authority.

U.S Court Of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Upholds CPSC Infant Sleep Product Rule
August 3, 2022, Kids In Danger
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Infant Sleep Product Rule that went into effect on June 23, 2022. The CPSC rule establishes mandatory safety standards for products marketed or intended for infant sleep for babies up to five months old requiring that infant sleep products must have a sleep surface angle of 10 degrees or less. The litigation, Finnbin, LLC vs. Consumer Product Safety Commission challenged the CPSC’s Infant Sleep Product Rule and the agency’s authority to promulgate the rule. Consumer Federation of America and Kids In Danger joined Consumer Reports in an amicus brief strongly supporting the CPSC’s rule and legal promulgation of the life-saving rule.

A Simple Way To Introduce Yourself
August 2, 2022, Harvard Business Review 
Many of us dread the self-introduction, be it in an online meeting or at the boardroom table. Here is a practical framework you can leverage to introduce yourself with confidence in any context, online or in-person: Present, past, and future. 

Congress Passes Bill Named For Toddler Who Died After Swallowing A Battery
August 3, 2022, GMA
A bill designed to help keep young children safe by strengthening safety requirements for products with button batteries has passed both the U.S. House and Senate, and is now headed to the desk of President Joe Biden. The legislation, known as Reese’s Law, is named for Reese Hamsmith, an 18-month-old Lubbock, Texas, girl who died after swallowing a button battery, the small, round batteries found in many home devices and toys.

2 Die In Harlem Fire As Warnings Mount About Scooter Battery Hazards
August 3, 2022, New York Times
A fire in a Harlem apartment early Wednesday sparked by the lithium-ion battery on an electric scooter killed a 5-year-old girl and a 36-year-old woman, and left the child’s father in critical condition, the police and fire officials said. Electronic bikes and scooters have been implicated in numerous fires in recent months, leading the housing authority to propose banning them from its buildings entirely. Experts say the problems are often linked to aging, damaged or malfunctioning batteries and charging devices. The Fire Department has repeatedly warned of the dangers of lithium-ion batteries.

CPSC Releases New Report On Carbon Monoxide Fatalities, Urges Generator Safety In New PSA
August 4, 2022, CPSC.gov
The CPSC estimates that about 85 consumer die in the U.S. each year from CO poisoning from gasoline powered portable generators. This, according to its new report: “Fatal Incidents Associated with Non-Fire Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from Engine-Driven Generators and Other Engine-Driven Tools 2011-2021.” The report also shows that African Americans are at higher risk, accounting for 23% of generator-related CO deaths, nearly double their estimated 13% share of the U.S. population. 

Former Hasbro Exec Jos Huxley Joins The Toy Association
August 1, 2022, Toybook
Toy safety expert Jos Huxley has joined The Toy Association as senior vice president of technical affairs. In his new role, Huxley, who joins the Association from Hasbro, will lead the continuing development of technical policies and strategies relating to toy safety, environmental sustainability, supply chain issues, factory processes, and other related matters, acting as a guide for member companies navigating these and other issues under the umbrella of technical affairs.

Massachusetts House Passes Bills Regulating E-Bikes, Addressing Traffic Fatalities
August 2, 2022, Patch
The Massachusetts House last week in a bill regulating the use of electric bicycles by considering them as bicycles, instead of a motorized scooter or vehicle as they currently are defined. In an effort to reduce traffic fatalities, the House also passed a bill which requires motorists to keep a safe distance from pedestrians, bicyclists, mobility device users and other vulnerable users of the road. Both bills now go to the Senate for their consideration.

Consumer Reports – The New Rules For Fire Safety
August 4, 2022, Consumer Reports
The number of house fires reported in the U.S. has dropped by half since 1980, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Credit the proliferation of smoke alarms, public education, and better building codes. Yet look beyond that number and the full story isn’t as rosy: Fire deaths in this country have been rising since 2010, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

A Pacific Palisades Girl Was Killed In An Electric Bike Crash. Her Parents Sue Rad Power Bikes
August 5, 2022, Los Angeles Times
Jonathan and Kaye Steinsapir filed suit last week against Rad Power Bikes, the burgeoning company whose product Molly Steinsapir was riding down the steep hill of Enchanted Way with a friend on January 31, 2021. Steinsapir’s friend tried to brake as they sped downhill, but the bike did not stop, and instead the girls lost control and were thrown to the concrete, where Molly lay face down, unresponsive, her helmet still on, according to the lawsuit.

CPSC Chair Seeks Answers By August 19 From META On High Incidence Of Listings Covering Banned, Recalled Products
July 14, 2022, Spectrum News 9
Alex Hoehn-Saric, Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, wrote Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta, urging them to “strengthen efforts to prevent the posting of banned and recalled consumer products for sale on Meta platforms, including Facebook Marketplace.” Hoehn-Saric wrote that the number of banned and recalled products for sale on Facebook Marketplace has increased significantly over the past several years. “While Facebook Marketplace currently has policies to stop controlled substances, counterfeit goods and other illegal products from being listed, they are being widely circumvented or ignored with respect to products under the jurisdiction of the CPSC,” said Hoehn-Saric in his letter to Zuckerberg.

Rep. Pallone Applauds Committee Passage Of Six Consumer Protection Bills Including Reese’s Law
July 20, 2022, House Committee on Energy and Commerce
U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) said following passage of six consumer protection bills: “Today, the Commerce Committee passed six bipartisan consumer protection bills that will help keep Americans safe, strengthen our economy, and protect the data privacy and security of all American.” Among the six was Reese’s Law which requires the CPSC to establish product safety standards for batteries, such as button cell or coin batteries, that pose an ingestion hazard.

Business Leaders Discuss How Crisis Management Skills Can Offer Opportunities For Career Growth
July 17, 2022, EIN Presswire
Business leaders will draw upon personal experiences to examine the importance of crisis management as an opportunity to learn and advance their product safety careers. The 7-part webinar series will start September 20. The series has been developed by the Society of Product Safety Professionals in cooperation with ADK Information Services. Scholarships are available for this course, which earns class members a Certificate of Completion in Crisis Management.

Marie-Claude Simard, a 25-year veteran in the legal and product safety areas for BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products), will lead a panel discussion that features Guillermo Rodriquez, Global Senior Director of Product Safety & Compliance for Harbor Freight Tools and Kimberly Mason, Senior Director, Compliance for Five Below. The panel will discuss building a career that may start out in a specialist role, but grows into a generalist role with more leadership responsibility and guiding the growth of others.

Michael Del Negro, whose background includes an undergraduate degree in Social Work, and a Law Degree from the University of Michigan, is Vice President, Product Safety Compliance for Peloton Interactive. He was previously with GE and GE Appliances, a Haier Company for 11 years. He has considerable experience with product safety investigations that require special communication and analytical skills in working with company peers and regular interface with senior leaders of the company.

Motivating People Starts With Building Emotional Connections
July 21, 2022, Harvard Business Review
In this piece, the author offers three ways to harness the power of emotion to motivate your team: 1) Cultivate the energy that flows from enthusiasm. 2) Recognize what’s behind anger and put it to better use. 3) Drive deeper engagement with a focus on development.

The Best Crib Mattresses To Keep Your Baby Safe And Cozy At Night
July 20, 2022, Forbes
Dr. Elizabeth Murray, a pediatrician in Rochester, New York, says parents should remember two key things when shopping for crib mattresses: “[A crib mattress] must fit very snugly into the crib and it must be firm. Babies are safest when they sleep on their back, on a firm mattress, without blankets or pillows or positioners or toys.”

Consumer Product Safety Commission Presses Onward With Equity Action Plan
July 22, 2022, National Law Review
In late spring, the Consumer Product Safety Commission held a roundtable for interested stakeholders to discuss the Equity Action Plan. The CPSC used the roundtable to solicit first impressions and feedback on its Equity Action Plan, discussing how to reach underserved communities, communication and education strategies, and potential policy changes with interested parties.

Industry Standards: How They Differ From Regulations, Why They’re Important.
July 21, 2022, Association of equipment Manufacturers
Despite their role in equipment manufacturing, product design and development, voluntary industry standards can be – and often are – confused with government regulations that require compliance on the part of manufacturers, sellers and customers.

General Product Safety Regulation: Council Adopts Its Position
July 20, 2022, Council of the European Union
Member States agreed today on a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal for a regulation on general product safety (GPSR). An increasing number of consumers buy goods and products online – a trend which was reinforced by the Covid-19 pandemic. To keep up with challenges linked to this trend, the GPSR proposal modernizes the rules for online marketplaces and updates them for online businesses. The revised rules for general product safety aim to ensure that products of the digital age meet European safety standards.

Tiktokers Warned Against Tying Ice Bags To Fans Amid UK Heatwave
July 20, 2022, Yahoo!News
TikTokers in the UK have been warned against a “very risky” homemade air conditioning which involves tying ice bags to an electrical fan. The consumer safety charity Electric Safety First (ESF) has warned social media users against experimenting with the viral TikTok in the hope they will blow cool air. They say that having water near electronic devices like fans increase the chances of electrocution.

Five Ways EU Scientists Are Making Batteries Better, Safer, And Greener
July 20, 2022, EU Science Hub
The European Commission’s proposal for a new Batteries Regulation aims to ensure that batteries are long-lasting and safe. This Regulation will apply to all batteries, except those connected with the essential security interests of EU countries or batteries used in equipment designed to be sent into space.

CPSC: Make Safety A Priority When Staying In A Vacation Rental Home
July 22, 2022, YahooFinance
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reminds consumers to check for safety features when staying at a vacation rental home. Before signing the rental agreement, consumers should verify that the property has smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and at least one fire extinguisher. If there is a pool or a residential elevator, take extra precautions to keep kids safe during the stay.

Opinion – Solution Or Hazard? Australia’s E-Scooter Debate Gains Speed, But The Rules Are A Mess
July 22, 2022, The Guardian
E-scooters have exploded in popularity since the rental company Lime launched in Brisbane at the end of 2018. The company now operates 3,500 e-scooters across Australia and New Zealand and has been joined by competitors Beam and Neuron. But they remain subject to messy regulatory frameworks across states and territories, as well as opposition from groups representing pedestrians and people with disabilities.

Honoring Our Heroes
SPSP Website
SPSP makes a permanent home for the salute poster at its website.