The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent agency of the United States government. The CPSC seeks to promote the safety of consumer products by addressing “unreasonable risks”of injury;developing uniform safety standards;and conducting research into product-related illness and injury. In part due to its small size,the CPSC attempts to coordinate with outside parties—including companies and consumer advocates—to leverage resources and expertise to achieve outcomes that advance consumer safety. The agency was created in 1972 through the Consumer Product Safety Act. The agency reports to Congress and the President;it is not part of any other department or agency in the federal government. The CPSC has five commissioners,who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate for staggered seven-year terms. Historically,the commission was often run by three commissioners or fewer. Since 2009,however,the agency has generally been led by five commissioners,one of whom serves as chairman. The commissioners set policy for the CPSC. The CPSC is headquartered in Bethesda,Maryland.
Inez Moore Tenenbaum is an American lawyer and politician who served as South Carolina Superintendent of Education and as Chair of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. In 2016 she joined a law firm. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Harold Duane "Hal" Stratton,Jr. is an American lawyer currently practicing law with the Albuquerque office of the Denver based western regional law firm,Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP. In addition to a career in the private practice of law,he has served in the New Mexico House of Representatives (1979–86),as the Attorney General of New Mexico (1987–1990) and as the chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (2002–2006).
Thomas Hill Moore was a commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,an independent agency of the U.S. federal government. He was first appointed to the commission by President Bill Clinton in 1995 to complete an unexpired term and was reappointed by Clinton to a full seven-year term in 1996. Moore was appointed to a third term by President George W. Bush in 2003. This term expired in 2010. He served an additional year after the expiration of his term,as commissioners are permitted to do until their successors are appointed.
The Consumer Safety Act (CPSA) was enacted on October 27th,1972 by the United States Congress. The act should not be confused with an earlier Senate Joint Resolution 33 of November 20,1967,which merely established a temporary National Commission on Product Safety (NCPS),and for only 90-days. Section 4 of the 1972 act established the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as a permanent independent agency of the United States federal government and defined its basic authority. The act gives CPSC the power to develop safety standards and pursue recalls for products that present unreasonable or substantial risks of injury or death to consumers. It also allows CPSC to ban a product if there is no feasible alternative to an outright ban. CPSC has jurisdiction over more than 15,000 different consumer products. The CPSA excludes from jurisdiction those products that expressly lie in another federal agency's jurisdiction,for example food,drugs,cosmetics,medical devices,tobacco products,firearms and ammunition,motor vehicles,pesticides,aircraft,and boats. These products may fall under the purview of agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives,the U.S. Department of Agriculture,the U.S. Department of Transportation,the U.S. Environment Protection Agency,and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Nancy Ann Nord was a commissioner of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Often the only Republican commissioner during her tenure,she served with Hal Stratton at the beginning of her tenure,Anne Northup,and Ann Marie Buerkle near the end of her tenure.
Toy safety is the practice of ensuring that toys,especially those made for children,are safe,usually through the application of set safety standards. In many countries,commercial toys must be able to pass safety tests in order to be sold. In the U.S.,some toys must meet national standards,while other toys may not have to meet a defined safety standard. In countries where standards exist,they exist in order to prevent accidents,but there have still been some high-profile product recalls after such problems have occurred. The danger is often not due to faulty design;usage and chance both play a role in injury and death incidents as well.
The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection,Product Safety,and Data Security is a subcommittee within the United States Senate Committee on Commerce,Science,and Transportation. It was formerly named the Subcommittee on Manufacturing,Trade,and Consumer Protection,Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs,Insurance,and Automotive Safety and the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection,Product Safety,Insurance and Data Security before getting its current title at the beginning of the 117th United States Congress.
Child-resistant packaging or CR packaging is special packaging used to reduce the risk of children ingesting hazardous materials. This is often accomplished by the use of a special safety cap. It is required by regulation for prescription drugs,over-the-counter medications,Nicotine Containing Electronic Cigarette devices or Refill containers that can contain Nicotine EUTPD 36.7 pesticides,and household chemicals. In some jurisdictions,unit packaging such as blister packs is also regulated for child safety.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 is a United States law signed on August 14,2008 by President George W. Bush. The legislative bill was known as HR 4040,sponsored by Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Ill.). On December 19,2007,the U.S. House approved the bill 407-0. On March 6,2008,the U.S. Senate approved the bill 79-13. The law—public law 110-314—increases the budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC),imposes new testing and documentation requirements,and sets new acceptable levels of several substances. It imposes new requirements on manufacturers of apparel,shoes,personal care products,accessories and jewelry,home furnishings,bedding,toys,electronics and video games,books,school supplies,educational materials and science kits. The Act also increases fines and specifies jail time for some violations.
During 1999 and 2000,Burger King and the Consumer Product Safety Commission held an effort to recall plastic containers resembling PokéBalls in the United States after it was determined they presented a suffocation hazard.
Neodymium magnets,usually small spheres,have been manufactured as educational toys,stress relief products,and an artistic medium.
Pamela B. Gilbert is an American lawyer and has been a partner of the law firm Cuneo Gilbert &LaDuca,LLP since 2003,where she heads the firm's lobbying practice. Gilbert is a noted consumer rights advocate who has testified before Congress over fifty times and made dozens of appearances in the national print and electronic media. Gilbert leads the Committee to Support Antitrust laws (COSAL),an organization supportive of antitrust legislation.
Ann Marie Buerkle is an American nurse,attorney,and politician. She served as a commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) beginning in July 2013 and was the agency's acting chairman from February 2017 to September 2019. During her tenure,the number of companies fined declined sharply,and she was criticized by consumer advocates. Buerkle was an Assistant New York State Attorney General from 1997 through 2010. She served as the U.S. representative for the New York's 25th congressional district,elected in 2010 in an upset of a Democratic incumbent. In a rematch of her 2010 contest,Buerkle was defeated by former Congressman Dan Maffei. She is a member of the Republican Party.
Robert S. Adler is a consumer advocate in the United States. He was a member of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,and recently served as its acting chairman from October 2019 to October 2021. He is a Democrat,and became acting chair due to a surprise vote crossing party lines from former acting chair Ann Marie Buerkle.
Elliot F. Kaye is a former Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. He served as a commissioner of the agency from 2010 through 2021,and was chairman from 2014 to 2017 under the Obama administration,directing the U.S. government's oversight and recall of everyday products that can cause injury or death.
Vornado is an American firm based in Andover,Kansas,that designs and manufactures household fans and other small appliances related to air circulation. The current incarnation of the company was founded in 1989,two years after the death of Ralph K. Odor (1895-1987),who founded the firm in the 1930s with Ottis A. Sutton in Wichita. The name of the company is a portmanteau of "Vortex" and "Tornado".
Dana Baiocco is a former member of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. President Donald Trump originally nominated her in 2017,and renominated her in the subsequent congressional session. The United States Senate confirmed her on May 22,2018,and she was sworn in on June 1,2018. She resigned on October 5,2022.
Peter A. Feldman is an American lawyer and currently serves as a member of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Feldman was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2018. Previously,he served as a senior counsel to the Commerce Committee in the U.S. Senate. Feldman is a Republican,and worked as a staffer for various Republican senators.
Alexander Hoehn-Saric is an American attorney and government official. Since October 2021,Hoehn-Saric has served as chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission,concurrently serving as a commissioner. Hoehn-Saric is a Democrat.
