Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

The consumer product safety community is rarely provided guidance by federal court decisions. On Tuesday, however, Judge R. Brooke Jackson of the Federal District Court for the District of Colorado issued an opinion in the never-ending saga of Zen Magnets, LLC v. CPSC.

Yesterday, President Donald Trump nominated Peter Feldman to fill the fifth and final spot as Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The nomination is to fill the vacancy left by past Commissioner Joe Mohorovic, who resigned from the Commission in October 2017. If confirmed, Feldman’s term…

Yesterday the U.S. Senate confirmed Dana Baiocco (pronounced “Bee Awe Co”) as a Commissioner for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission with a term that runs through October of 2024. The confirmation took over eight months from Baiocco’s initial nomination last September and came over sixteen months into…

On Friday, February 16, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) announced that it had voted 3-1 (along party lines) to authorize CPSC staff to file an administrative complaint against Britax Child Safety, Inc., (“Britax”) a global manufacturer of car seats, strollers, and other juvenile products. In its…

With Congress back in session, on January 8th President Trump was swift to re-nominate Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle to be the permanent Chairman of the CPSC, along with a nomination for a second term as a Commissioner. President Trump also re-nominated Dana Baiocco to be a Commissioner.

This morning at the CPSC’s public hearing Commissioner Joe Mohorovic announced that he would be resigning from his position as a Commissioner, effective Friday, October 20th. Mohorovic announced that he would be joining the law firm Dentons.

Over the past few weeks, there have been many key goings-on related to the CPSC and its Commissioners.

Today, President Trump announced his nomination of Dana Baiocco to be a Republican Commissioner on the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If confirmed, Ms. Baiocco would take the seat of Commissioner Robinson, whose term expires on October 26, 2017.

Today, President Donald Trump officially announced his intent to nominate Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle to be the permanent Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Her new seven year term will begin on October 27, 2018 when her first term is set to expire. If confirmed,…

On July 25, 2017 at 9:00 AM, the Consumer Product Safety Commission will be hosting a public workshop on Recall Effectiveness. The workshop, to be held in the Hearing Room at CPSC Headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, is intended to allow consumer safety professionals and the CPSC staff to…

This morning it was announced internally at the CPSC that Commissioner Ann Marie Buerkle has become the Acting Chairman of the agency. The CPSC has not yet released a statement concerning the transition of the chairmanship from Elliot Kaye to Ann Marie Buerkle, but we have confirmed the…

We do not get many court decisions in the CPSC world, but yesterday we received one. Last evening, a Wisconsin federal district court essentially held in the Government’s case against Spectrum Brands, Inc. (Spectrum) that (1) Spectrum failed to timely report defective coffee pots in violation of Section…

We have had a huge election result, perhaps the most significant in our lifetime, potentially even exceeding what was called the Reagan Revolution. It is critical, particularly for anybody from Washington DC, to have a great deal of modesty and humility in prognosticating the future under the Trump…

In the wake of two tragic amusement park ride accidents in Kansas and Tennessee, and the ongoing political debate in America over gun safety issues, we felt it timely to help answer a question that continues to be asked in the media: does the U.S. Consumer Product Safety…

Products like e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have been under intense scrutiny in recent years from public health officials, legislators at all levels of government, and many other interested parties, including dozens of plaintiffs in lawsuits stemming from battery explosions and other injuries. Newly enacted…

Today the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) and Health Canada announced a massive joint recall with IKEA involving over 35 million pieces of furniture that can pose a tip over hazard to small children. While we would normally write about the recall itself, a troubling development has…

This article originally appeared on Law360 on May 12, 2016 and provides additional analysis to our prior post on this subject.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye announced in a meeting with consumer advocates that the agency will never again allow a company conducting a voluntary corrective action to call it anything other than a “recall.” Last year, after the announcement of a joint CPSC-IKEA “repair…

On March 25, 2016, Administrative Law Judge Dean Metry found that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) case counsel did not prove that high powered, small rare earth magnets (“SREMs”) (1) are defective as sold by Zen Magnets (“Zen”); and (2) constitute a substantial product hazard when…

There have been many twists and turns over the past four years concerning the CPSC’s regulation of certain high powered, rare-earth magnet sets and its litigation against various entities selling these magnets. In the latest chapter of the magnets saga, a federal court in Colorado has permanently enjoined…

Earlier today, the CPSC unanimously agreed to publish in the Federal Register a new enforcement policy proposed by Commissioner Joe Mohorovic regarding the certification of certain adult wearing apparel (click here for policy-related materials and statement prepared by Commissioner Mohorovic). Specifically, the CPSC will not require manufacturers and…

President Obama signed Public Law 112-28 (“PL 112-28”) into law on August 12, 2011. PL 112-28 amended numerous provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (“CPSIA”). One such amendment made a notable change to the operation of the CPSC’s Saferproducts.gov database with respect to claims that a…

Last year, we wrote about a growing trend of local jurisdictions regulating children’s products, primarily toys and apparel. One such jurisdiction, Albany County, NY, enacted a far-reaching ordinance, “Local Law J of 2014,” that prohibited the sale of children’s products containing seven chemicals of “high concern” (see previous…

Has your business experienced difficulty identifying on the CPSC’s website which product safety regulations are potentially applicable to your products? In an effort to better guide industry, particularly new product makers and small businesses, through the maze of CPSC regulatory requirements and guidance, the CPSC rolled out earlier…

Yes. You read that correctly. Two US companies are selling personal flamethrowers to the public. Once grisly weapons of war, the flamethrowers are now being marketed for more practical purposes such as clearing brush and snow, incinerating weeds between cracks on the driveway, controlled burns, insect control and,…

[This article originally appeared on Law360 on August 7, 2015 and updates our prior post on this CPSC corrective action]

Yesterday the CPSC and major furniture company IKEA jointly announced a “repair program” to address the serious and complex hazard of furniture tip over posed by 27 million chests and dressers sold by the company. The repair program offers free wall anchoring repair kits so consumers can secure…

So what is the CPSC’s “fast track recall” program and what is the benefit of participating in it? What is a “stop sale notice” and why does the CPSC generally request it for fast track recalls? What else is required by the CPSC in order to participate in…

[This article originally appeared on Law360.com on June 23, 2015.]

On Wednesday of last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that a complaint has been filed in federal court against Spectrum Brands, Inc. (Spectrum). Notably, this is the second case in the past three months brought by the government in federal…

Last Sunday, during the Super Bowl, Nationwide Insurance ran a controversial commercial entitled “Make Safe Happen.” The advertisement features a young child experiencing memorable moments growing up. However, viewers are informed that the child would not actually experience these moments because he “died from an accident.” The commercial…

Following an ABC 20/20 investigative story where CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye called Craigslist’s failure to block the sale of recalled products “morally irresponsible,” the agency announced yesterday that it has entered into an agreement with the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group (“Alibaba”) to stop the sale of products…

On January 5, 2015, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that Gerber Legendary Blades, a division of Fiskars Brands Inc., has agreed to pay a $2.6 million civil penalty to resolve charges that it knowingly failed to immediately report to the CPSC a safety hazard associated…

Tomorrow, December 5, 2014, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will be briefed by staff on a recommendation to issue a proposed rule to permanently prohibit five phthalates – DINP, DIBP, DPENP, DHEXP, DCHP – from children’s toys and child care articles. The use of three phthalates…

At their April Senate confirmation hearing, both incoming CPSC Chairman Elliot Kaye and Commissioner Joe Mohorovic pledged to Senator John Thune (R-SD) to submit plans for reducing third party testing burdens within 60 days of confirmation. Rather than send separate plans, Kaye and Mohorovic submitted a joint letter…

On October 28, 2014, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that Baja Inc., and its corporate affiliate, One World Technologies Inc., of Anderson, S.C., agreed to pay a $4.3 million civil penalty to resolve charges that it knowingly failed to immediately report certain defects and an…

On October 14, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report entitled “Consumer Product Safety Commission: Challenges and Options for Responding to New and Emerging Risks.” The report analyzes the timeliness of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) response to “new and emerging” safety risks from new or…

In May, we advised readers conducting recalls that the CPSC’s new monthly “recall progress report” form may catch you by surprise. Among other changes, the form included new provisions requesting companies to report recall notification statistics on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter along with information from…

Earlier this year, we began a series of blog entries to update our readers on legislative efforts on Capitol Hill that affect stakeholders within the product safety arena. Over the summer, we updated you on an amendment to an appropriations bill passed in the House of Representatives that…

We do not typically take positions on product specific issues pending before the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”), but the CPSC’s new safety standard for magnet sets demonstrates both why the agency exists and how it can use its regulatory authority to protect consumers. In enacting the…

Although the final rule currently under consideration by the CPSC sets a performance standard for magnet sets, the practical effect of the new safety standard will be a ban on the future sale or distribution of powerful rare earth magnet sets like Buckyballs and Zen Magnets. During the…

In the wake of the tragic drowning of Virginia Graeme Baker, the granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker, Congress passed and President Bush signed into law the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. The legislation was sponsored by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and…

Two years ago, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took the uncommon step of filing administrative complaints against multiple rare-earth magnet companies who refused to voluntarily recall magnetic adult desk toy products deemed to be defective by CPSC staff. Specifically, the agency alleged that these companies sold…

Earlier this evening, the U.S. Senate confirmed Elliot Kaye as the new CPSC Chairman and Joe Mohorovic as a new Commissioner of the agency. Once Kaye and Mohorovic are officially sworn in this week, the Commission will be fully constituted with five Commissioners.

Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced on the Senate Floor (video clip below) that the Senate will consider and vote on the nominations of Elliot Kaye and Joe Mohorovic on Monday, July 28th. President Obama nominated Kaye to serve as the next Chairman and as a…

The House of Representatives is currently considering H.R. 5016, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act of 2015, which provides funding to many different parts of the federal government for the next fiscal year. This includes the CPSC, which would be funded $118 million under the House…

Today the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved three pending nominations for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The Committee approved Elliot Kaye as Chairman and Joe Mohorovic and Bob Adler as Commissioners to the CPSC. Although the Committee approved his nomination, seven Republican Senators reportedly voted…

Last week the CPSC formally announced it would be holding its annual “agenda and priorities” hearing at the CPSC on July 24th at 10am. The purpose and importance of this meeting is somewhat underappreciated in terms of the role it can play for individual stakeholders wishing to have…

On June 27, 2014, Judge Claude M. Hilton of the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed the complaint filed against the power tool industry by SawStop, LLC. We previously wrote about this lawsuit and the need for companies and trade associations to develop sound legal policies and procedures to…

We previously wrote about the recent 4th Circuit decision that ordered the unsealing of a district court opinion siding with a manufacturer who challenged a product safety report the CPSC planned to post on its Saferproducts.gov public database. The district court had previously redacted its opinion heavily and…

The CPSC’s Acting Chairman, Robert (Bob) Adler, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for his confirmation hearing this week along with four other nominees for various positions within the federal government. Acting Chairman Adler was renominated by the President for a second term…

Update: Commissioner Adler has been confirmed as a witness for the June 11th hearing.

Former CPSC Chairman Ann Brown recently sent a letter to the leaders of the CPSC’s congressional oversight committee asking for them to “urge the Commission to consider its proposed [voluntary recalls] rule carefully and to assure that it does not adversely affect CPSC’s Fast Track Recall Program.” As…

The CPSC recently released a new monthly progress report form for companies conducting recalls with the agency. The revised form is in some respects better written than its predecessor and retains many of the old information reporting categories, disposes of or modifies other information fields from the old…

In an unexpected move, President Obama announced this afternoon his intent to renominate current CPSC Acting Chairman, Robert Adler, to a second term at the agency. Acting Chairman Adler’s current term expires in October of this year, and it was unclear whether he would be renominated prior to…

On May 9, 2014, the CPSC and the maker of Buckyballs and Buckycubes settled the July 2012 administrative case brought by the CPSC alleging that these “rare earth magnets” pose a substantial product hazard. The settlement agreement includes a voluntary recall of Buckyballs and Buckycubes and a trust…

In response to a written request from 32 trade associations and issues raised by 58 public comments, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) decided at its public meeting this morning that it will seek further public input prior to finalizing a proposed amendment to its certificates of compliance…

Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit rather forcefully reversed one of the key rulings of Maryland District Court Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. in the recent litigation involving the CPSC’s Saferproducts.gov public database. The Fourth Circuit ruled in favor of several consumer advocacy organizations and…

Earlier this year, we began a series of blog entries to update our readers on legislative efforts on Capitol Hill that affect stakeholders within the product safety arena.

For the first time in nearly a year, a unanimous U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) announced that a company will pay a hefty civil penalty and enact a strict compliance program to resolve allegations regarding its reporting practices. This announcement comes almost one year after three similarly…

The rumor is now confirmed. The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation officially announced it will hold the confirmation hearing for CPSC Chairman nominee, Elliot Kaye, and Commissioner nominee, Joe Mohorovic, next Tuesday, April 8th at 2:30pm. This is a very quick turn-around for Kaye in…

The long awaited announcement of a new CPSC Chairman is finally here. After more than a year of speculation and intrigue, the search ended right where it started today when President Obama announced that Elliot Kaye is his nominee to become the next Chairman of the CPSC.

Earlier this year, we blogged about Senator Kirstin Gillibrand’s (D-NY) announcement that she planned to introduce legislation expanding the scope of Section 108 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (“CPSIA”). That section of the CPSIA makes children’s toys and child care articles subject to a ban on…

Last week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a voluntary recall notice for the popular wireless, activity-tracking wristband Fitbit Force. Fitbit’s wristband allows consumers to monitor and measure certain personal fitness activities such as sleep habits and the number of steps one takes in a day.…

In his keynote address at the annual conference of the International Consumer Product Health & Safety Organization (ICPHSO), Acting Chairman Adler announced that the CPSC had recently started posting what it calls “letters of advice” (commonly referred to as LOAs) to its website. You can see this new…

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) filed suit in federal court against four California companies and six individuals for importing products that violate the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (“FHSA”) and the Consumer Product Safety Act (“CPSA”). The individuals and companies — Toy Distribution, Inc., S&J Merchandise,…

(Updated 3/2/14) The CPSC has voted to hold a workshop to discuss potential ways to reduce third party testing costs through additional “determinations” that certain products or materials do not require third party testing. Although the agency refers to these as determinations, they are essentially exemptions from the…

CPSC Commissioner Ann Marie Buerkle announced today that Joe Martyak, her Chief Counsel, has accepted a position as Vice President for Communications with the Hawaii Community Foundation and will be departing the agency this month. Prior to working for Commissioner Buerkle, Joe served as Chief of Staff, Director…

In a somewhat unusual development for a CPSC rulemaking, Pennsylvania Senators Robert Casey and Patrick Toomey submitted a bipartisan comment letter into the official administrative record for CPSC’s proposed voluntary recalls rulemaking that echoed many of the same concerns voiced by at least 45 others who submitted comments…

As the February 4th commenting deadline for CPSC’s voluntary remedial actions rulemaking approaches, many companies and trade associations are pondering not only the wisdom of CPSC’s insertion of compliance programs into voluntary recall negotiations, but also how those compliance programs might evolve and take shape moving forward. To…

Although the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) authorized a budget of $136.4 million for CPSC in fiscal year 2014, Congress set the CPSC’s authorization levels years before the recent budget climate took hold in Washington DC. In its 2014 budget request, the agency requested $117…

The CPSC has released the staff briefing package for a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) to amend its existing regulation interpreting the requirements of Section 6(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). Agency staff will brief the Commissioners on January 23rd and the Commission is scheduled to…

After Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (“CPSIA”) in 2008 and the major amendment to the CPSIA (Public Law 112-28) in 2011, the product safety world turned its attention and focus to CPSC regulatory action – and for good reason. Over the past five years, the…

While the headquarters location of a federal agency may not seem highly newsworthy, a recent report that the CPSC has signed a new 10-year lease to remain at its current location in Bethesda, Maryland is very welcome news to many people both inside and outside the agency. The…

We first wrote about Chairman Tenenbaum departing the CPSC and Commissioner Bob Adler assuming the role of Acting Chairman back in October. Last week the CPSC issued a press release confirming that Commissioner Adler became the Acting Chairman of the agency on December 1, 2013 following the Chairman…

We have previously blogged about the sometimes difficult decision that companies face when classifying their products as “children’s” or “general-use” products and the uncertainty of predicting whether the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) will agree with their classification. Although companies who sell personalized products have different business models,…

CPSC’s November 20, 2013 Commission hearing started with an emotional farewell from Chairman Inez Tenenbaum and high praise from her fellow Commissioners for her dedication to consumers and the agency. I joined the Chairman’s staff at the start of her tenure at CPSC and can echo the Commissioners…

Since the inception of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), voluntary recall agreements between the agency and companies conducting a recall (commonly referred to as “corrective action plans”) have not been legally binding on the company conducting the recall. At the November 13, 2013 meeting of the…

Yesterday President Obama announced his intent to nominate Joseph P. Mohorovic as a Commissioner on the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If confirmed by the Senate, he would succeed former Republican Commissioner Nancy Nord whose term expired at the end of October.

As readers of this blog are well aware, classifying products as “children’s products,” as opposed to “general use products,” has important ramifications under federal and state consumer product safety laws. For example, under federal law, namely the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (“CPSIA”), children’s products must meet strict…

In February of this year, CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum announced that she would not seek a second term as Chairman of the agency. This morning she announced that she would be leaving the CPSC at the end of November. In addition, Commissioner Nancy Nord will end her term…

The CPSC is considering whether to issue an interpretative rule (to be included as part of 16 CFR 1115) that would significantly alter the way in which voluntary recalls and corrective action plans (CAPs) are conducted. One major aspect of the proposed rule is turning past agency practice…

We recently wrote about CPSC’s proposed amendment to its current limitations on CPSC staff’s participation in voluntary standards organizations. Under the proposed amendment, staff would be allowed to cast votes on voluntary standards and hold leadership positions on voluntary standard committees. The amendment is based on the recommendations…

I used to jokingly tell people that when I moved from design engineering into the law I went from the most productive field in the world to the most counter-productive field. This joke plays on the common misconception that lawyers are risk-averse naysayers who stifle innovation and focus…

This week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) will decide whether to hold a full Commission hearing to receive oral comments on a notice of proposed rulemaking on magnet set safety. If the meeting notice is approved as drafted, the hearing will take place at 10 AM EST…

Last week, CPSC staff proposed an amendment to the agency’s current voluntary standards rule that would allow Commission employees to participate as voting members and to accept leadership positions in voluntary standard development groups. The new rule would amend 16 CFR 1031 to remove the current prohibitions on…

CPSC’s longtime Deputy Director of Compliance & Field Operations, Marc Schoem, is now leading the agency’s Office of Education, Global Outreach, and Small Business Ombudsman. Marc began a detail as the Director of the office this week. This office spearheads CPSC’s efforts to carry out education and outreach…

This month marks the five year anniversary of the enactment of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 into law. Commonly referred to as the “CPSIA,” the law has had a dramatic impact over the past five years on all firms involved in manufacturing, importing and selling…

The role of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in product liability cases is often a two-sided coin. Evidence of a recall is sometimes allowed to establish notice of a defect though the standard to invoke a recall of a product is not the same as proving a…

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced recently that it stopped 4.8 million units of products at multiple ports of entry that violated product safety rules or were deemed to be hazardous. The units were seized during the Commission’s last fiscal year (October 2011 to September 2012).…

When you board a ride at an amusement park, the question of who regulates the ride vs. the toy you just won is probably the last thing on your mind.

Starting in 2012, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) teamed up with football helmet manufacturers, the National Football League (NFL), and others to eliminate the use of outdated football helmets and teach safer game play among youth football players. The “Youth Football Brain Safety” initiative has helped…

On June 27th, the U.S. Senate confirmed Marietta Robinson and Ann Marie Buerkle as new CPSC Commissioners. Robinson was first nominated in 2012 and participated in a hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on May 10, 2012. Buerkle was nominated in late May of…

A unanimous U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) announced that Ross Stores Inc. (“Ross”), a national discount retailer, agreed to pay a $3.9 million civil penalty to settle allegations that it failed to report its continued sale of banned children’s upper outerwear containing drawstrings. In addition to paying…

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”) recently proposed to substantially alter its 2008 regulation governing the form and contents of certificates of compliance for consumer products. Commonly referred to as “GCCs” within the retail and manufacturing industries, certificates of compliance are used to establish a product’s compliance…