In the News: August 6, 2018

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The Next Big Trend? – Koowheel Hovershoes
August 2, 2018, PRNewswire
Enthusiast of self-balancing personal transporters have lots of products to choose from: electric skateboards, hoverboards, e-scooters and bikes. But all of these devices tether the feet and limit bipedal mobility. But that’s not the case with the Hovershoes. The company that brought consumers e-scooters, e-bikes, electric longboards and hoverboards now is promoting two separate self-balancing hoverboards with inbuilt gravity sensors on each foot that they claim will give users the freedom of mobility no other rideable can.

Car burns as charging fidget spinner catches fire
July 30, 2018, ABC Columbia
The fidget spinner had a Bluetooth speaker and was charging in the passenger seat of a car in Pennsylvania last week when the fire started, the Colonial Park Fire Co. in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said. No one was injured, and the owner of the vehicle was able to extinguish most of the fire, fire officials said. The fire company urged consumers who experience similar problems to report them to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

JPMA expresses support to CPSC for ASTM F406-17 with exception for play yard provisions
July, 2018, JPMA Communication
Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association (JPMA) has sent a letter to the CPSC endorsing the incorporation of ASTM F406-17 by reference into 16 CFR 1220, with the exception of the provisions that pertain to play yards. ASTM F406-17 is the Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Non-Full-Size Baby Cribs/Play Yards. JPMA is a national not-for-profit trade association representing 95% of the prenatal to preschool products industry including the producers, importers, and distributors of a broad range of childcare articles that provide protection to infants and assistance to their caregivers.

Brexit Update: “Double Trouble for Business” in the UK and EU?
August 1, 2018, JDSupra (K&L Gates LLP)
The UK Government’s long-awaited negotiating position for Brexit was published on 12 July 2018 by way of a White Paper (the “Chequers Paper”). In addition to critical issues such as security and trade, the Chequers Paper also sheds light as to what the UK is seeking in terms of the regulation of various industries post-Brexit. If an agreement is reached between the UK and EU, the new intended regulatory regime for products would likely come into force after a transition period at the end of 2020. However, if no agreement is struck, businesses should prepare for a “hard-Brexit” on 29 March 2019, when all EU rules would cease to apply to UK manufacturers, importers and distributors.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has the most unexpectedly hilarious Twitter
July 31, 2018, Mashable
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is here to warn us about unsafe products and best practices when using certain products. And, it seems, to also keep us entertained with some of the weirdest meme-filled tweets of any government agency. Most recently the account has received attention in the past for its unusual approach to education and recently got the attention of unfamiliar users with a single-word tweet.

I’m an economist riding a bike across America defying what the data says about cycling’s safety
July 30, 2018, WTOP
While raising your heart rate and exercising your muscles is unquestionably a good thing, being more active – particularly after a long stretch of inactivity – has a downside: increased risk of injury. This led an economist to wonder, how safe are the sports and other activities performed by a typical weekend warrior – or anyone really? Which sports are the most dangerous? Perhaps unfortunately for the writer, the database shows that what he’s doing – bicycling – is indeed quite dangerous. An estimated 455,000 people were injured while using a bicycle in 2017 and ended up in an emergency room, the third-highest in the sports and recreational equipment category.

Strengthening and Sustaining Process Safety Culture
July, 2018, Wiley
Essential Practices for Developing, Strengthening and Implementing Process Safety Culture presents a guide for understanding an organization’s working culture and contains information on why a good culture is essential for safe, cost-effective, and high-quality operations. The text defines process safety culture and offers information on a safety culture’s history, organizational impact and benefits, and the role that leadership plays at all levels of an organization.

The CE Marking as your Products’ Passport for the European Market
July 30, 2018, In Compliance
The CE marking is also called a “product’s passport” for the markets within the European Economic Area (EU Member States plus Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway) and in Turkey.1 This is due to the fact the CE marking enables the free movement of a product within this area in the sense of the free movement of goods It is the first indication that a product complies with the requirements under European Product Law. There are, however, many uncertainties about if and how to affix the CE marking to a specific product. This article will provide some guidance and address some common misunderstandings with regard to the CE marking.

Trampolines still dangerous, despite new safety features
July 26, 2018, KAIT8
A trampoline may seem like a great way for kids to burn off some energy, but it can also be an easy way to end up in the emergency room. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, trampolines lead to more than 280,000 injuries and more than 100,000 ER visits every year.

Marketpoint Recall Partners with U.S. based Recall Results
July 24, 2018, SFGate
European based recall response specialist, Marketpoint Recall, announces its partnership with U.S. – based Recall Results to provide global services. Marketpoint Recall is known for delivering product recall services to clients throughout Europe & Asia, while similarly Recall Results is recognized for handling product recalls throughout North America.

2 Practical ways to enforce “Tone from the Top” compliance
August 2, 2018, JDSupra (Mitratech Holdings, Inc.)
Jon Stentz, VP and Chief Counsel of International Development and Brands at HMSHost corporation, and a panelist at Compliance Week, where he shared some expert insights, including a movie reference, on tone from the top. Stentz reinforces the idea that leadership should not only be the enforcer, but also the role model. While you don’t have to be a drill sergeant to enforce tone from the top, leadership should provide a clear example to their employees about what constitutes ethical behavior. And about what’s acceptable at different companies in different industries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain

In the News: July 30, 2018

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Feds Seem to Favor ‘Light Touch’ IoT Regulation
July 24, 2018, Tech News World
The Internet of Things may be in its infancy, but the U.S. government has been gearing up to determine what the proper federal role should be, both for encouraging and for regulating the use of IoT technology. Two recent developments have underscored the government’s interest in IoT. On the regulatory front, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has launched an initiative to determine a framework for regulation related to IoT. The agency finished taking comments from IT providers, other affected businesses and the public last month. The second action was the recent introduction of the SMART IoT Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Duck Boats Reportedly Designed by Businessman with No Engineering Training
July 27, 2018, National Law Review (Robert A. Clifford)
Several major publications are reporting that court records indicate that the deadly duck boats were designed decades ago by a businessman who had no engineering experience. The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today are among those reporting that the designer and entrepreneur, Robert F. McDowell, had completed only two years of college and “had no background, training or certification in mechanics when he came up with the design for ‘stretch’ duck boats” USA Today, “Court Records show duck boat in Missouri disaster was designed by entrepreneur with no engineering training,” by Matt Pearce, July 24, 2018. The discovery came upon an examination of a lawsuit filed over a roadway disaster in Seattle involving a similar duck boat in 2015.

CPSC Business Guidance on Phthalates
July, 2018, cpsc.gov
On 27 October 2017, the Consumer Product Safety Commission approved a prohibition of concentrations above 0.1% of the substances in children’s toys and childcare articles, followed in January, 2018 by a direct final rule to amend corresponding administrative regulations to reflect the new requirements. To assist businesses in understanding the overall subject matter, the CPSC has developed a resource guide for businesses to provide relevant information. The guide covers such topics as: Types of products subject to phthalates prohibition, component parts and inaccessibility, third party testing and certification, phthalates FAQs, and additional resources and information.

Baby Changing Safety Standards
July 25, 2018, Good Housekeeping
Between 2005 and 2016, there were over 39,000 baby changing product-related emergency visits in children younger than three years of age. So it makes sense that the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) has announced an updated standard of safety for changing products used at home. The new guidelines apply to changing tables, accessories, add-on units, and contoured changing pads, but as was the case with the updated safety standards for high chairs, these new rules can be tricky.

New safety standards for booster seats approved
July 25, 2018, SIlive.com
New federal standards aimed to make booster seats for children safer and prevent injuries and death were recently approved. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) approved the rules for booster seats used at home and in restaurants. They will take effect in a year and a half. A booster seat is a “juvenile chair” placed on an adult chair to elevate a child, up to 5 years old, to standard table height. The rules don’t apply to booster seats intended for use in cars.

New York State looks to expand BPA ban to substitution chemicals
July 25, 2018, Environmental Health News
The New York State Assembly has put forth a bill than bans BPA substitution chemicals in children’s products. The bill, which has been referred to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, would expand existing legislation that prohibits the sale of child care products that contain bisphenol-A. It comes in response to studies that have reported many BPA substitution chemicals are just as harmful—if not more so—than the chemical they’re designed to replace.

Certification Program Guidelines Issued
July 27, 2918,  Society of Product Safety Professionals
Participants who successfully complete this certification program will receive a certificate from Saint Louis University’s Emerson Leadership Institute stating that they have demonstrated an understanding of the knowledge required to contribute to the design and management of an effective product safety system within a company that manufactures, sells, or distributes consumer products. This certification will result in the designation Certified Consumer Product Safety Professional™ (CCPSP).

Mars boss: EU-UK should prepare to extend Article 50 or transition period
July 26, 2018, Euractiv.com
London and Brussels should be “pragmatic” and prepare to either extend Article 50 or the transition period so that Brexit talks can progress “in the right way”, Mars Wrigley Confectionery’s regional president for Europe, Russia, CIS and Turkey told EURACTIV.com.
Shaid Shah said Brexit will have implications whichever way the final destination plays out.
“There are three essential outcomes: hard Brexit, soft Brexit or no Brexit. There are three guidelines we are looking to be prepared and plan for. This isn’t an easy exercise because the ambiguity of what is likely to follow is not good for business, no matter the outcome,” he said.

Precautionary Politics: Europe moves backward into a fear-based dark ages in regulation agriculture and cancer risks
July 25, 2018, Genetic Literacy Project
When any technology is held up to a strictly-applied hazard-based regulatory approach, the result is a near certain ban. For environmental activists who are deeply skeptical of technology, that may be the point. In European agricultural policy, certain technologies considered critical to modern farming and deemed safe by regulatory agencies around the world have been limited or eliminated with the application of a hazard-based model; it should come as no surprise that the consequences for farmers have been difficult.

Aim for compliance by design, not by accident
July  26, 2018, Atlantic City Weekly
While a global economy is an advantage for many companies that operate internationally, compliance with the multitude of complex and ever-changing laws and regulations can be a burden to doing business, and the penalties of non-compliance can be severe. To underscore how costly non-compliance can be, a recent case study of one global steel company showed that EHS-related violations cost the company almost $2.7 million dollars over a five-year period. Compliance challenges for global businesses include not only the complexity and fast-paced changes of laws and regulations all over the world, but also tighter enforcement of these regulations, not to mention potential language and cultural barriers.

 

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain

In the News: July 23, 2018

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CPSC Announces Public Request for Information to Improve Recall Effectiveness
July 16, 2018, Associated Press
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is requesting input from stakeholders regarding the use of direct notices and targeted notices for recalls, as part of its ongoing effort to improve recall effectiveness. This request for input and information follows CPSC’s July 2017 Recall Effectiveness Workshop, which brought together stakeholders and CPSC staff to discuss ways to improve recall effectiveness. CPSC issued a follow-up report identifying key findings and proposing further collaboration among stakeholders to promote direct notice to consumers.

CPSC Recalls now featured daily on Product Safety Network News
July 18, 2018, Product Safety Network News
An RSS feed from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission now makes daily recall news available at your beck-and-call with a click of the keyboard to your favorite digest on global product safety news.

Breakfast cereals don’t need cancer warnings, California court rules
July 17, 2018, SF Gate
Cereals like Cheerios and Grape-Nuts Flakes contain a chemical that researchers have identified as a possible cause of cancer. The cereals also contain whole grains, which the government wants Americans to consume. A state appeals court weighed those conflicting factors and found the balance in favor of the federal government’s whole-grain assessment. Cereals produced by Post, General Mills and Kellogg do not have to carry cancer-warning labels under California’s Proposition 65, the court said, because the labels could discourage consumers from buying healthy foods.

ATV fatality renews concern for safe riding
July 15, 2018, The News Dispatch
Summer means ATV season, and while riding off-road vehicles can be fun and exciting, it can also be deadly, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Though fatal ATV accidents have fallen since 2016, partly due to a new helmet law, DNR officers continue to warn riders to follow laws and common-sense safety tips after a fatal accident two weeks ago in Starke County. The victim was David Blessing, a 49-year-old Tinley Park, Illinois, man, who was found underneath a crashed ATV just after midnight on June 30 near Bass Lake.

Wrap up of federal and state chemicals regulatory developments, July, 2018
July 16, 2018, JDSupra (Bergeson & Campbell)
Available On-Demand – TSCA At 2: An Update On Implementation And Hot Topics: A recording of “TSCA at 2: An Update on Implementation and Hot Topics,” the third webinar in the 2018 Chemical Policy Summit Series, is now available. This webinar featured news and updates on Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) implementation from Nancy B. Beck, Ph.D., D.A.B.T.®,
Final rules, final guidance, and discussion items focus on EPA’s attention on TSCA reforms.

INSIGHT: Five Litigation ‘Hot Spots’ That Escalate the Stakes Under TSCA
July 16, 2018, BNA
We’ve seen a historic upswing in private actions aimed at the Toxic Substances Control Act since it was updated by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, Pub. Law No: 114-182 (June 22, 2016). Prior to this, litigation stemming from TSCA has been modest compared with other federal environmental laws. Things have changed. The 2016 amendments moved TSCA out of the backwater of environmental litigation. This article discusses five “hot spot” areas that target some ambiguities with the new law and assume an enforcement role.

Continuously Saving Lives, UAVs Prove to be More Than Just a Toy
July 18, 2018, Unmanned Aerial 
As more public safety agencies adopt small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the number of lives the technology is saving is climbing dramatically, reports Skyfire Consulting, a public safety UAV consulting company in Decatur, Ga. Recently, in just one day, four people were reportedly saved by drones in three separate incidents around the world.

How Europe’s chemical industry learned to love REACH
July 17, 2018 Chemical & Engineering News
The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), Europe’s leading chemical industry association, has made a U-turn in its view of REACH, Europe’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals legislation. After years of kicking and screaming to resist REACH—the biggest and most expensive body of chemicals regulation ever introduced—Cefic has emerged as its biggest advocate.

Managing data protection compliance effectively
July 20, 2018,  Image and Data Manager
New legislation around data protection and breach reporting means organisations need to put the right processes, people, and technology in place to comply. Failing to do so can create significant challenges for businesses. The new laws have already seen breaches become public that may otherwise have remained hidden.

Deal or No Deal: Here’s how Europe is bracing for a chaotic Brexit
July 19, 2018, Business Standard
Brexit talks are stalled and Prime Minister Theresa May’s divorce plan faces opposition on all sides. The European Union is telling governments and companies to prepare for the chaotic scenario of Britain leaving the bloc without an agreement in place. As the UK government promises to step up its own preparations for a no-deal exit, some EU countries are taking it more seriously than others.

Safety warning over children’s slime toys
July 17, 2018, Telegraph, UK
Parents are being warned over popular slime toys after a study by consumer watchdogs found many are potentially poisonous. Consumer group Which? tested 11 popular children’s slime products and found eight of them contained higher than recommended levels of boron, a chemical which can pose a safety risk. Exposure to excessive levels of the element can cause irritation, diarrhea, vomiting and cramps in the short term, while exposure to very high levels of boron may also impair fertility and could cause harm to an unborn child in pregnant women.

 

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Home, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain, Uncategorized

In the News: July 16, 2018

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Unsafe consumers products cost the US economy $1 trillion each  year
July 11, 2018, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
When people are injured or killed by hazardous consumer products, society pays – economically as well as emotionally – and in the United States the price tag comes to around $1 trillion each year, according to Richard O’Brien of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Mr. O’Brien, who was speaking on 10 July at UNCTAD’s Intergovernmental group of experts (IGE) on consumer protection law and policy, said the yearly economic drag of unsafe children’s toys and faulty stepladders, for example, comes to about $2,800 per person. To put that in perspective, he said the figure is equal to the entire per capita GDP of 39 countries.

Laundry packet safety standard group reviews new data, researchers note progress
July 12,2018, Markets Business Insider
At a meeting of stakeholders involved in ASTM International, a global standards organization, researchers shared data and expressed progress related to a 2015 safety standard for labeling and packaging laundry packets, an increasingly popular consumer product. The group, known as the subcommittee on liquid laundry packets, reviewed two analyses that tracked: total number of exposures, rate of exposures adjusted for the population of children under six, and the rate of exposures adjusted for sales volume.

Latches on older Lane cedar chests may still pose danger
July 12, 2018, News Advance
Federal consumer-safety officials are renewing a warning for owners of certain older Lane and Virginia Maid brand cedar chests to immediately replace or remove the latch and lock on the chests, saying they pose a danger to children. The lids on these chests made between 1912 and 1987 automatically lock when they’re closed and were designed to provide airtight protection from moth damage. Between 1977 and 2015, 14 children suffocated to death inside such chests, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Lane chests made after 1987 do not automatically latch.

Are you ready for fast approaching Prop 65 Amendments?
July 12, 2018, EHS Daily Advisor
Proposition 65, or Prop 65, product-safety warnings, once eye-catching and nerve-wracking, have become so ubiquitous that many would contend they have lost their intended effect.
Many businesses, facing steep penalties for non-compliance, appear to have adopted the practice of slapping a Prop 65 warning label on every product—even if the product does not trigger Prop 65 warning requirements—just to be safe from bounty hunting, class action lawyers. Appearing on everything from hotel room doors to padlocks to coffee shops, many Californians disregard Prop 65 warnings. However, change is brewing. Significant Prop 65 amendments take effect on August 30, 2018, and will alter, among other things, labeling requirements, warning responsibilities, and safe-harbor protections

Massachusetts advances flame retardant ban
July 11, 2018, Chemical Watch
Massachusetts’ senate has approved a bill to ban certain flame retardants from children’s products and home furnishings. The measure (S2555) is aimed at residential upholstered furniture, bedding, carpeting, window treatments and products intended for children less than 12 years old. If passed into law, it would prohibit the sale of such items if they contain, in any component part, more than 1,000 parts per million of any of the following substances or their analogues:

Six Flags St. Louis Waterslide Injury Highlights Lax Regulation
July 6, 2018, CBS Local
No government officials conducted a safety inspection of a new waterslide at Six Flags St. Louis before a woman said she suffered whiplash last month from the force of the “Typhoon Twister” that featured a five-story drop and a “45-foot zero gravity wave wall.” Officials said it’s no surprise that the slide didn’t have to pass a government safety review, even though an estimated 80 million people flock to about 1,000 water parks in the U.S. every year. The ride is exempt from a Missouri law regulating amusement rides passed in 2004.

Opinion: Parents–Don’t park your safety concerns when you take your child to the amusement park
July 11, 2018, MinnPost
If you’re planning on taking your children to an amusement park this summer, be sure you talk with them about safety issues, including what they should do if they get lost. And if you see ride operators acting unsafely — such as not enforcing height requirement rules or talking on a cellphone while operating a ride — be ready to report that behavior to the amusement park’s manager.
A significant number of parents do not do either of those things, according to a survey taken earlier this spring by researchers at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

New and Emerging Technologies: Challenging Existing Product Liability Rules
July, 2018, Who’s Who Legal
New and emerging technologies – such as autonomous, self-learning and artificially intelligent products, advanced robotics and the Internet of Things – are an increasing feature across a variety of sectors, including transport, healthcare, agriculture, IT, data management and communications. Such technologies offer a range of societal and economic benefits, from prevention of human error and failure, and improved safety, to increased productivity and economic growth.

Consumer group calls on local governments to stop using toxic chemicals on grounds and public parks
July 12, 2018, WXXI News
The Empire State Consumer Project has published its 2018 Government Pesticide Survey, highlighting the hazards of common pesticides used on local government properties. President of the group, Judy Braiman, said through a freedom of information request, they received information from 31 municipalities on herbicide and insecticide use. Braiman says many of the pesticides can cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive harm in humans.

Nissan Joins the List of Automakers caught in Emissions Scandals
July 13, 2018, Sanvada
Nissan has joined the increasing list of manufacturers who have admitted to the falsification of fuel economy figures. It stated it uncovered the falsified data from car exhaust emission tests carried out at several plants based in Japan currently. Apparently, the inspection tests were based according to altered measurement values.

Compliance can make or break your company’s reputation
July 10, 2018, Forbes
For many in the C-suite, compliance is something they know is important but don’t deeply understand. Compliance is often viewed as a necessary evil that hinders business, but compliance is essential to your business’s success. Having strong compliance officers on staff to make sure regulations are followed is critical, but that doesn’t mean the C-suite can totally check out. There are five essential things that top tech leaders must understand when it comes to compliance. What’s more, tech leaders can play an integral role in helping safeguard against misconduct at the top — often working alongside compliance officers to ensure the business has a strong regulatory structure with executive buy-in.

 

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain

In the News: July 9, 2018

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CPSC Approves New Federal Safety Standard for Baby Changing Products
July 2, 2018, cpsc.gov
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a new federal standard intended to improve the safety of baby changing products, which include changing tables, changing table accessories, add-on changing units and contoured changing pads. The new federal standard incorporates the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International (ASTM F2388-18, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Baby Changing Products for Domestic Use), with no modifications. The standard addresses the hazard patterns associated with the use of baby changing products and includes requirements for structural integrity, restraint-system integrity and warnings on labels and in instructional literature.

EU in agreement with Amazon, eBay to tackle dangerous product listings
June 25, 2018, Reuters
The European Commission has signed an agreement with four major online retailers to combat the listing of dangerous products on Europe’s online shopping sites. The pledge covers products that could endanger consumer health in various ways, such as through fire hazard. It is part of broader Commission efforts to tackle an array of dangerous or illegal content online. AliExpress, Amazon, eBay and Rakuten-France agreed to remove dangerous product listings within two days of being notified by authorities and respond to customer notifications within five days.

Washington state seeks ‘prevention approach’ on flame retardants
July 3, 2018, Chemical Watch
Washington state’s ecology department (ECY) is looking to shift its approach on managing flame retardants towards one of prevention – that is, acting before harm has occurred – a recent meeting has heard. The state is developing a report that will set out policy recommendations on six flame retardants: TPP, TCPP, TBPH, V6, IPTPP and TBB. The action comes as part of a 2016 law that banned five flame retardants from children’s products. That regulation also directed the state to act on the latest six.

Survivors sue importers of hoverboard blamed for Harrisburg house fire that killed 2 kids
July 5, 2018, Penn Live
The survivors of a March 2017 Harrisburg house fire that killed two children are suing the importers of a Chinese-made hoverboard blamed for starting the blaze. They also are suing MAR Construction, the owner of the house at 2534 Lexington Street, claiming the three-story row home wasn’t properly equipped with smoke detectors, fire extinguishers or a fire escape.

Denmark investigating fines for non-compliant toys manufacturers and importers
July 5, 2018, Chemical Watch
The Danish environment and food minister is investigating the possibility of fining importers and producers of illegal toys on sale in the country.These would be issued directly by the EPA’s chemicals inspectorate, bypassing the need for a longer prosecution process. The decision comes off the back of Denmark’s EPA advising retailers to remove all ‘squishy’ toys from the market after testing found they emit chemicals hazardous to children.

Segway invents crazy self-balancing roller-skates that zoom around like a hoverboard
June 29, 2018, The Sun
SEGWAY has brought roller skates into the 21st century with a pair of “e-skates”. They’re built using the self-balancing tech that power hoverboards and can whizz you around the streets in true sci-fi style. The space-age shoes are being dubbed Segway Drift W1, but we know very little else about them so far.

IKEA Furniture Recalled 2 Years Ago Still Being Sold
June 29, 2018, Claims Journal
Too many of IKEA’s recalled, hazardous dressers remain in consumers’ homes, according to safety advocates speaking on the second anniversary of the largest product recall in history. Since the 2016 recall of millions of IKEA Malm dressers and similar units for their propensity to tip over onto children and crush them, there has not been nearly enough action by IKEA to remove hazardous furniture from homes, according to advocates Kids In Danger, Consumer Federation of America, Shane’s Foundation, Consumers Union. They call on IKEA and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to take further action to get more of these dangerous products out of homes.

California Adopts the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018
July 3, 2018, Hotel News Resource
Privacy legislation is dominating the news cycle these days–and it’s unlikely to slow down. Now, as U.S. companies are adjusting to the requirements of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, the State of California has introduced new laws that will apply to California companies or companies doing business in California.

Consumer products giant Unilever calls on Australia to step up its battle against plastic pollution
June 23, 2018, abc.net.au
Multinational Unilever, one of the world’s biggest consumer products companies says it is being held back in the push to deliver more sustainable packaging. While the Government has pledged to make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, Unilever is calling for “stronger co-ordination around how targets are delivered”.

The Doctor who discovered lead in Flint’s water on what went wrong and how to fix it
June 28, 2018, Time
According to the physician who researched the danger of lead in Flint’s water system, she was clued in by a high school girlfriend–a drinking-water expert–over a glass of wine at a barbecue at my house. She told the physician that the water [which was being piped from the local river to save money] wasn’t being treated properly. Instead of taking the physician’s research seriously, local officials, attacked the doctor and the science. Everybody talking about this was attacked: moms, activists, pastors, journalists.

Cycling Safety: Insurance Industry, Virginia Tech Rate Biker Helmets
June 27, 2018, Insurance Journal
A first-of-its-kind study using the latest techniques for simulating head injuries found significant variations in how bike helmets protect against concussions. Urban-style helmets — which have nearly solid covers with few vents — and those that haven’t adopted the latest anti-concussion technology were more than twice as likely to result in injuries, researchers from Virginia Tech and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found in a study.

 

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain, Sustainability

In the News: July 2, 2018

Posted on by adk

CPSC: Urges July 4th safety after 8 fireworks-related deaths and nearly 13,000 injuries in 2017
June 27, 2018, cpsc.gov
At a fireworks safety press conference and demonstration on the National Mall, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that eight fireworks-related deaths were reported in 2017, with victims ranging in age from four to 57. There were an estimated 12,900 fireworks-related, emergency department-treated injuries in 2017. Moreover, about 67 percent of the estimated annual fireworks-related, emergency department-treated injuries for 2017 occurred during the month surrounding the Fourth of July holiday, between June 16, 2017 and July 16, 2017. During this one-month period, sparklers were the number one cause of injuries, accounting for 14 percent of the estimated injuries.

Toys R Us is closing. ‘There is nothing left’: The day it closed for good
June 30, 2018, New York Times
Toys ‘R’ Us, a brand that dates to 1957, closed the last of its 735 stores across the country this week. As more Americans shop online, the company’s cavernous suburban stores became outdated and the $5 billion debt from its private equity owners too onerous.

Why civility in politics won’t be getting any better
June 30, 2018, The Hill
It really is true that there’s been a decline in political civility in recent years. Some say it started with Robert Bork’s 1987 Supreme Court confirmation battle. Whenever it started, we seem to have a hit an all-time low. The 1960s saw the creation of the Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission and the National Transportation Safety Board. In the 1970s, there was the Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Federal Election Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Each of these organizations created a host of new, often controversial regulations that fall under the jurisdiction of federal courts. Existing agencies were also granted new regulatory powers.

White Paper: Consumer product safety in an IoT world
June, 2018, Society of Product Safety Professionals (Tim Cassidy with Eric Xu)
A Society member helps to launch a new White Paper section at SPSP’s web site. He offers insight into some of the product safety aspects of the IoT (Internet of Things). The emerging and ubiquitous nature of the IoT may present hazards that traditional physical safety validation methods are ineffective in mitigating. This paper is intended to explore these potential vulnerabilities and consider options of risk mitigation.

California seeks to clear coffee of cancer risk warnings despite presence of dangerous chemical
June 18, 2018, Kaiser Health News
If approved, the proposed regulation could be a win for the coffee industry, which lost an 8-year-old lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court over a law that could require warnings be placed on all packaged coffee sold in the state. California officials, having concluded coffee drinking is not a risky pastime, are proposing a regulation that will essentially tell consumers of America’s favorite beverage they can drink up without fear. The unprecedented action was taken by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

Massachusetts: Senate Passes Bill To Ban Toxic Flame Retardants
June 21, 2018, Patch.com/Beacon Hill
The Massachusetts Senate voted unanimously on June 21 to ban 11 toxic flame retardants from children’s products, bedding and residential upholstered furniture sold or manufactured in the Commonwealth. Public health advocates hailed the vote as an important legislative victory and called upon the House to pass the bill before the end of the Massachusetts Legislative session.

Can Washington Create Smarter Regulations?
June 15, 2018, Knowledge @ Wharton
The number of U.S. regulations has grown exponentially in the last few decades, often creating a quagmire of confusion for those charged with drafting and implementing these rules. But it is possible to achieve what University of Pennsylvania law and political science professor Cary Coglianese calls regulatory excellence. Coglianese, who heads the Penn Program on Regulation, spoke recently to staffers on Capitol Hill as part of a Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative series about how to build a framework for sensible, flexible regulation no matter which party is in the White House.

New High Chair Safety Standards Are Coming — Here’s Everything You Need to Know
June 21, 2018, Good Housekeeping
After more than 18,000 high chair-related emergency visits from 2015 through 2016, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) has announced an updated standard of safety for chairs used both at home and in restaurants. As a parent, navigating these changes can be a little tricky, so the Good Housekeeping Institute tapped its experts to get the answers to all burning questions about the new safety measures.

Gas alarms could kill: Carbon monoxide detectors sold on Amazon and eBay fail safety tests
June 21, 2018, Daily Mail (UK)
Dozens of carbon monoxide alarms sold via Amazon and eBay have been removed from sale after an investigation found they failed safety tests. Four alarms bought from the two retail sites and tested by Which? failed to sound when the gas was present in the air, making them potentially lethal in the event of a carbon monoxide build-up in the home.All four alarms claimed to meet the British safety standard for detecting carbon monoxide.

What to do after a child swallows a button battery? Try honey, CHOP study suggests
June 18, 2018, Herald Online
A team of pediatric ear, nose and throat specialists from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Nationwide Children’s Hospital has discovered that giving a child honey to eat after he or she has swallowed a small battery can prevent serious injury and possibly even death. “Since serious damage can occur within two hours of ingesting a battery, the interval between ingestion and removal is a critical time to act in order to reduce esophageal injury,” said Jacobs, whose team’s findings were published in the journal The Laryngoscope.

 

 

 

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain, Sustainability

In the News: June 19, 2018

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Senate staffer Peter Feldman nominated to final spot + additional term on CPSC
June 13, 2018, National Law Review (Keller and Heckman, LLP)
Senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Peter Feldman has been nominated by President Trump as commissioner to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). If confirmed, Feldman will fill the post left vacant by Joe Mohorovic, who resigned last October. Although Feldman would initially serve out Mohorovic’s term, which expires in October 2019, President Trump has already re-nominated him for a full 7-year term to follow immediately thereafter.

CPSC approves new federal safety standard for high chairs
June 12, 2018, cpsc.gov
In a 4-0 vote of Commissioners, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a new federal standard intended to improve the safety of all high chairs, including those intended for both home and restaurant use. The new federal safety standard incorporates the most recent voluntary standard developed by ASTM International (ASTM F404-18, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for High Chairs), with no modifications. The voluntary standard includes requirements for rearward stability and warning labels and requires that high chairs have a passive crotch restraint and a three-point restraint system

Community of over 85,000 parents select recipients of the parent tested approved consumer product awards
June 12, 2018, University Chronicle
A product awards organization announced the latest round of recipients to receive recognition with a Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval. The results come after a product approval process whereby parents (selected from a community of over 85,000 parent testers across North America) put products to the test in the context of their daily lives.
“Ask any mom how she chooses which stroller to buy, what food to give her family, and which housewares to buy and she’ll tell you she trusts other moms more than brand marketing,” said Sharon Vinderine, Founder and CEO of PTPA Media.

INSIGHT: Emerging Tech, Consumer Products: Will the CPSC Stifle or Incentivize Innovation?
June 13, 2018, BNA
A former staff member at the Consumer Product Safety Commission analyzes how the agency may impact emerging technologies. New consumer products increasingly leverage emerging technology, such as virtual and augmented reality (AR/VR), artificial intelligence (AI), robotics. and “smart products,” such as wearable technology and new products that are connected to the internet. For regulators, however, they pose interesting opportunities to make consumers safer and product recalls more effective; for consumers they can create potential serious dangers—some foreseeable, others not.

Judge halts stop sale order for Zen Magnets
June 13, 2018, Westward
A Colorado company that has battled the federal government for six years won some breathing room on Tuesday, June 12, after a judge ruled that the company hadn’t received a fair hearing in its efforts to stay in business and demonstrate the safety of its product. Shihan Qu launched his company, Zen Magnets, out of his home in Boulder in 2009, offering powerful, BB-sized magnets suitable for fidgeting, as an educational tool, or for making sculptures and complex geometric shapes. But officials at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission viewed such products, known as small rare-earth magnets or SREMS, as a safety hazard because of reports of children accidentally ingesting the spheres

Volkswagen fined $1.2-billion by German authorities for emissions cheating scheme
June 13, 2018, New York Times
Even after Volkswagen was hit with billions of dollars in penalties in the United States over an emissions-cheating scheme that continues to unfold, the company remained mostly unpunished in Europe.That changed on Wednesday, when German prosecutors said they had imposed a fine of 1 billion euros, or $1.2 billion, on the carmaker for failing to properly supervise the employees who devised and deployed illegal software in diesel models to evade pollution controls.

Advocacy Study: California law caused nearly $8 million in losses for Texas companies
June 11, 2018, Times Record News
A California law meant to keep people safe from toxic chemicals has mutated into a cash cow for trial lawyers resulting in nearly $8 million in losses from Texas businesses. According to a report from the Center for Accountability in Science, Texas was the sixth most affected state with nearly $8 million in losses from Proposition 65 lawsuits. The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, Prop 65, began in 1986, as a California law that requires warning labels on products and areas that contain chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive harm.

The rise and fall of Toys R Us from a marketing perspective
June 14, 2018, WKTV
Toys R Us has been holding its liquidation sales at stores across the nation including the store in New Hartford. Many shoppers, loyal from the start, have returned for the sales, but also for the nostalgia. A marketing Professor says that one of the reasons for its demise was that the chain wasn’t offering anything special that would make it the only choice for people to buy toy.

Indian entrepreneur team wins $1 million prize for women’s safety device
June 7, 2018, Indian Express
A group of young Indian entrepreneurs, inspired to find solutions for women safety following the December 16, 2012 gangrape, have won a million dollar prize by developing a wearable smart device that women can use to send out emergency alerts if threatened or assaulted. New Delhi-based Leaf Wearables was among the five finalists selected from 85 teams hailing from 18 countries for the million dollar prize instituted by eminent Indian-American philanthropists Anu & Naveen Jain called ‘Women’s Safety XPRIZE’.

Opinion: The importance of building ethics into artificial intelligence
August 18, 2017, Mashable
“Elon Musk recently said that the threat of Artificial Intelligence is more dangerous than that of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. While I don’t pretend to be a foreign policy expert, I’m confident that Musk’s commentary oversimplifies things at the very least. And that AI, when defined, built, cultivated and deployed with the right human oversight, has the potential to do significantly more good for the world than harm. In order to ensure Musk’s comments stay in the realm of extreme, though, the AI-focused technology community needs to collectively figure out some basic guide rails.“

 

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Home, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain

In the News: June 11, 2018

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Judge says Amazon not liable for selling exploding hoverboard
June 2, 2018, cnbc
A judge in Tennessee has ruled that Amazon is not liable for the damage and injuries caused when a hoverboard exploded and burned down a family’s home, CNBC reports. The plaintiff, Megan Fox, argued that Amazon did not properly warn her family about the dangers of the product, but the judge did not agree with her. It’s the latest legal victory for Amazon, which has for years fended off litigation related to product quality and safety by arguing that, for a big and growing part of its business, it’s just a marketplace.

Chemicals group announces support for bipartisan legislation promoting accurate labels
June 7, 2018, American Chemistry Council
The American Chemistry Council (ACC), a member of the Coalition for Accurate Product Labels, today announced its support for the bipartisan Accurate Labels Act (ALA) as introduced by Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR). “Consumers have a right to accurate, common sense labels that reflect the best available science,” said American Chemistry Council President and Chief Executive Officer Cal Dooley. “However, a growing number of states and localities are requiring labels that imply risks when none exist. The ALA offers a bipartisan solution to this labeling chaos and misinformation that is creating consumer confusion, driving up costs and creating unreasonable regulatory burdens for farmers, manufacturers and small businesses.”

California assembly approves flame retardant ban
June 4, 2018, Chemical Watch
A measure that would ban the sale of children’s products, mattresses and upholstered furniture containing flame retardants in California has been approved by the state Assembly and awaits action in the Senate. The Assembly approved the bill, AB 2998, on 30 May by a 58-12 vote.

Amazon will stop selling connected toy filled with security issues
June 5, 2018, CBS News
That soft teddy bear seems harmless — until hackers can use it to spy on your kids. Amazon said it has pulled CloudPets, a smart toy that researchers said was riddled with security flaws, from its online store. Last week, Walmart and Target stopped selling the toy. Amazon began removing CloudPets on Tuesday morning. The decision comes a day after Mozilla contacted Amazon with research showing new vulnerabilities on CloudPets.

Ruthless “conline” sellers tempting a quarter of North West into buying fake electrical goods
June 6, 2018, Burnley Express
Shocking statistics released today reveal that a quarter of people in the North West are falling victim to buying counterfeit electrical goods online. A new investigation by UK consumer protection charity Electrical Safety First uncovers dangerous electrical goods for sale on e-commerce sites. And some of the most popular e-commerce sites are being misused by ruthless sellers as a platform to exploit online shoppers in the North West, exposing them to thousands of counterfeit, substandard and suspected recalled electrical goods.

Study: Consumer product safety testing misses cancer risks from chemicals mixture
June 4, 2018, ewg.org
Mixtures of chemicals commonly found in consumer products are more likely to increase breast cancer risk than the same chemicals individually, according to a new analysis. But safety tests by government regulators don’t routinely evaluate the combined effects of multiple chemical exposures according to an environmental advocacy group.

Trigger warning: The Army got upgraded guns. For months, the public didn’t.
June 6, 2018, CNN
When gun manufacturer Sig Sauer was about to land a massive deal in 2016 to supply the US Army with a new pistol, the military made a disturbing discovery during testing. If dropped at a certain angle, the gun would go off by itself. The company won the deal last year anyway, then fixed the guns before shipping them. The Army’s apparent endorsement helped make a nearly identical Sig Sauer pistol, the P320, a popular choice for police departments and the general public. But for several months, the company sold its commercial version of the gun without the fix it had made for the military, a CNN investigation has found.

Consumer rights in a radically different marketplace
June 4, 2018, Policy Options
Up until the rise of the Internet and digital technology, consumers were, as Daniel Defoe noted in The Complete English Tradesman (1726), “the last article” or “utmost end” in a trade chain. As buyers of goods and services, consumers were passive actors in the market economy. Starting in 1970s, the regulation of consumer rights (through consumer protection legislation) was framed around this paradigm of consumers as passive actors and focused largely on product safety and warranties. But digital technology and the globalized networked information economy have fundamentally changed the very concept of a consumer.

Lowes to stop selling paint strippers with toxic chemicals
May 29, 2018, UPI.com
Lowe’s plans to stop selling paint-removal products with toxic chemicals that have been blamed for killing dozens of people, the home improvement store announced. The company said it will phase out paint-stripping products that include methylene chloride and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone, also known as NMP, by the end of the year.

Almost all European diesel cars are dirty
June 7, 2018, Popular Mechanics
A new emissions study based on testing methods that are supposedly “difficult-to-impossible to cheat” has revealed that even the latest models of European diesel cars are bad polluters. The first such analysis since the 2015 Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, the results show more than 4,000 vehicle models exceeding nitrogen oxides (NOx) levels set by the European Union.

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain, Sustainability

In the News: June 4, 2018

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CPSC Consumer Alert: Caregivers urged to use restraints with inclined sleep products
May 31, 2018, cpsc.gov
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding parents: Always create a safe sleep environment for babies in a crib, bassinet, play yard or inclined sleeper.
CPSC is alerting consumers to be aware of hazards when infants are not restrained in inclined sleep products. CPSC is aware of infant deaths associated with inclined sleep products.  Babies have died after rolling over in these sleep products.

CPSC Urging… It’s Hurricane Season: You have the power to be heard (with video)
May 31, 2018, cpsc.gov
June 1 marks the start of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, and meteorologists have forecast it to be an active one. This means powerful storms and hurricanes are likely to hit the region hard, affecting millions of Americans. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants to remind everyone that you have the power to prepare. Don’t sacrifice safety, before or after the storm.

Parent Center Network Emerged A Leading Website for Children’s Toys Reviews
June 1, 2018, Digital Journal
In this era, it requires an effort to take care of kids and satisfying their need. Parents always look out for some guidance to take care of new-born babies and kids. Focused on this, Parent Center Network has launched a new website to provide suggestions for all these problems. The website also focuses on blog sharing some of the most popular parental items and gift ideas for babies, kids right up to teens.

Most Ed-Tech Products Don’t Meet Minimum Criteria in Their Privacy Policies, Report Finds
May 29, 2018, Education Week
A study by Common Sense finds that only 10 percent of the more than 100 ed-tech applications and services evaluated by the organization met minimum criteria for transparency and quality in their privacy policies. The research uncovered what Common Sense called “a widespread lack of transparency, as well as inconsistent privacy and security practices” in its three-year review of how student information is collected, used, and disclosed on some of the most popular applications and services in education technology.

Legislation Regulating Warning Labels on Children’s Talc Cosmetic Products Pending in House
May 31, 2018, Harris Martin Publishing
Legislation aimed at increasing labels on children’s cosmetic products to include a warning on the potential inclusion of asbestos in the talc is currently pending in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) introduced the legislation, entitled the “Children’s Product Warning Label Act of 2018.”

Toxic chemicals found in children’s tents, tunnels, and chairs
May 30, 2018, KXLY.com
The Washington Department of Ecology found flame retardant chemicals in twenty percent of children’s play tents, tunnels, and chairs that it tested. The flame retardants found include two chemicals, TDCPP and TCEP, that were banned under Washington’s Children’s Safe Products Act in 2017 in 17 of the 85 items tested. The products tested were purchased before the ban.

Who else wasn’t at the EPA chemical meeting? The victims
May 26, 2017, CNN
Journalists weren’t the only ones shut out from the Environmental Protection Agency’s conference this week on chemically contaminated drinking water. Many victims of water polluted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances were also left out and are struggling to get clear answers about the dangers to their communities. The EPA’s PFAS National Leadership Summit landed in the spotlight, in part, because the agency blocked some reporters from covering a speech by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. After an Associated Press reporter was physically shoved out of the building, the EPA allowed reporters to attend about four hours of the two-day conference.

Following a cyber attack, IoT device manufacturers, data controllers, and sellers could face liability under the EU’s Product Liability Directive and the GDPR
May 23, 2018, JDSupra (Hogan Lovells)
Advancements in technology may provide consumers with a continuous stream of upgraded products, but they’re also proving that current security and privacy regulations fall short within the Internet of Things (IoT). New devices with unprecedented capabilities are challenging traditional beliefs about liability and consumer protections. In an environment of ever-changing regulations, how do device manufacturers reduce liability risks?

New CCC Marking Regulations in China
May 31, 2018, In Compliance
China is the second biggest economy in the world. The strong economic growth of the last decades has lead the country to develop its own quality standardization system. In 2002, the China Compulsory Certification (CCC) was established, a system which is comparable but not identical in terms of standards and requirements to the European Union’s (EU’s) CE mark or the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) declaration of conformity in the U.S.

Five ways companies can become nimble
May 17, 2018, Knowledge at Wharton
Companies like Digital Equipment Corp. and Ericsson were once considered leaders in their industries, and thus likely to stay on top. But they failed because they lacked the ability to think and act differently from their pre-conditioned ways. They either did not anticipate imminent technology changes or did not have the flexibility to respond to disruption. Others, like electronics and home appliances maker Haier of China, have retained the nimbleness of their startup days.

China Reforms its IP Administrative System with the Creation of a New Super Administration
June 1, 2018, National Law Review (Squire Patton Boggs US LLP)
As part of larger institutional reorganization schemes, the Chinese government has recently issued a draft statute for the reform of the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). SIPO, until now an agency subordinated to the executive branch (i.e. the State Council), will be organized under a newly created super agency in charge of IP and product quality and safety. Among the goals of the reform are administrative simplification and increased efficiency in handling IP related matters, as well as the improved protection of the intellectual property rights of foreign entities and individuals in China.

 

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Food Safety, Global Developments, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain

In the News: May 27, 2018

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Dana Baiocco Confirmed as Commissioner of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
May 22, 2018, cpsc.gov (prnewswire)
Attorney Dana Baiocco has been confirmed as a Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). President Donald J. Trump originally nominated Baiocco on Sept. 21, 2017 and she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 22, 2018.

Analysis: Dana Baiocco Confirmed as new CPSC Commissioner
May 23, 2018, Keller and Heckman, LLP
After a lengthy process that involved two committee hearings and a re-nomination, lawyer Dana Baiocco was confirmed by the Senate as commissioner at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for a seven-year term. Baiocco, a Republican, replaces Democrat Marietta Robinson, an Obama appointee whose term expired in October 2017.

U.S. and EU Retailers Release Industry Approach to New Data Protection Regulations to Meet Customer Expectations
May 23, 2018, oaoa.com
The National Retail Federation and EuroCommerce today released a paper that addresses operational challenges retailers in both the United States and the European Union face as they implement programs to comply with new EU data protection regulations while continuing to meet consumers’ expectations for customer service. “There are still many questions about how the GDPR applies to critical areas of retail operations,” the paper said. “Retailers must find appropriate methods for GDPR compliance that further their customer relationships and do not frustrate them.”

Lawsuits, safety experts sound alarm about popular off-road vehicles
May 24, 2018, NBCWashington
In April, Polaris recalled more than 100,000 off-road vehicles for burn and fire hazards. It was the 12th recall covering almost a half million vehicles since 2013. A lawsuit filed last month against Polaris on behalf of 300,000 Polaris owners alleges the company failed to address the root problem of the fires — “a design defect” in the engine called the Prostar. While Polaris would not address the alleged design defect they said “With an unwavering focus on vehicle safety … we’ve invested significantly in the people, processes, and tools that support quality and safety.”

CPSC urges riders to keep All-Terrain-Vehicles off-roads in new public service announcement
May 23, 2018, cpsc.gov
As Memorial Day weekend approaches and the ATV riding season begins, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is launching a new public service announcement, urging riders to keep all ATVs – OFF paved public roads. Every year, there are about 650 deaths and 100,000 injuries involving ATVs, according to CPSC’s Annual Report.

CPSC issues tempered glass safety alert
May, 2018, cpsc.gov
In 2016, an estimated 20,700 injuries associated with glass tables were seen in emergency departments. From 2012 through 2016, there were an estimated 2,300 U.S. emergency department visits associated with shattering glass shower doors. CPSC notes that tempered glass is a technology that is designed to fail safely. Consumer products that use tempered glass should rupture into small, fragmented pieces, and not into larger shards if shattered.

Safety under the surf: Investigating concerns with full-face snorkel masks
May 21, 2018, wtvm.com (FOX News)
Hawaii is dealing with an alarming increase in snorkel-related deaths, which is sparking debate over a relatively new product: full-face snorkel masks. According to the Hawaii Department of Health, there is an average of 18-snorkeling deaths per year in the state. Kosaki tells us so far in 2018, there have already been 12, with half (6) of those involving full-face masks.

Advocate: Group calls for free access to recall code of practice in UK
May 23, 2018, Product Safety & Recall Directory (Linked-in Group)
Following the launch of the “Publicly Available Specification” or Code of Practice on Product Recalls, whose development was sponsored by the UK Government, a review was published March 2018. (link to http://www.rqa-group.com/product-recall-code-launched-for-consumer-products/). Within that, the advocate said that charging £90 for a “publicly available” document that should help industry improve product safety and recall effectiveness was “disappointing”.

Groin pains: Yadier Molina and others spur evolution of athletic cups
May 23, 2918, USA Today
When Yadier Molina got hit in the crotch by a foul-tipped, 102-mph fastball on May 6, the medical personnel at Busch Stadium in St. Louis weren’t the only ones that sprang into action. So did people who manufacture and sell athletic cups. One company mailed Molina one of their protective cups about the same time the St. Louis Cardinals’ All-Star catcher had surgery for a traumatic hematoma.

Product Lifecycle: Achieve the Transparency Consumers Demand
May 22, 2018, Chemical Processing
Consumer advocacy groups have become more and more vocal in recent years in their quest for more transparency. Retail chains have begun to hear the collective clarion call. Wal-Mart recently joined the Chemical Footprint Project, which encourages companies to disclose the chemicals in their products. Similarly, in January 2017, Target declared it would use its market influence to push for full ingredient disclosure throughout its entire value chain by 2020.

 

Posted in Chemical Hazards, Children's Products, Global Developments, Innovation, Organizational Development, Product Liability, Product Safety Rules, Product Standards, Risk Assessment, Supply Chain, Sustainability