Consumer Database an Attempt to Resolve Delays in Recall Notification

By Mike Rozembajgier

The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) new consumer recall complaint database, SaferProducts.gov, is set to launch today. This new database, mandated by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) enacted more than two years ago, will likely have a major impact on consumer buying decisions and on companies that manufacture consumer goods. The CPSIA itself, which makes changes to various standards and regulations including policies governing recall management, has been praised by consumer safety groups and criticized by industry. Much of that criticism has focused on the consumer product database.

Most recently, the safety advocacy group Kids In Danger released a report that found more than 44 million children’s products, which were linked to 18 deaths, were recalled in 2010. At a very basic level, the study echoes claims from safety advocates that information about potential safety problems is not getting to consumers fast enough.

Many of these consumer safety advocates blame the delay on the fact that safety reporting has been strictly voluntary.  The Kids in Danger report cites five products whose manufacturers waited to announce a recall until after they received 100 or more adverse incident reports. The report claims that nursery products have been linked to the most injuries prior to a recall announcement. They claim that the new mandatory reporting database will fix that

The stated goal of the new consumer product safety database is to ensure that information about possible safety problems is available to consumers within two weeks after an initial incident is reported, ensuring that consumers and regulators alike can quickly spot trends and potential safety hazards. This new requirement is likely to further increase the number of recalls that are announced.

As we’ve said time and time again, manufacturers and distributors cannot afford to delay responding to safety issues or ignore the CPSC’s ever-evolving regulations. With consumers and regulators empowered as never before, companies must avoid waiting to announce recalls or potential safety hazards. In today’s regulatory environment, being proactive is the best way to both maintain brand integrity and avoid costly regulatory investigations and litigation.

With the new consumer recall database likely to increase the number of recalls, companies must have  solid recall plans in place ahead of time and practice them regularly. No matter how safe a company thinks its products may be, there is always the risk of a recall. Being prepared in advance, knowing who should be involved, how to notify customers, the documentation requirements, and effective recall management techniques, is essential to managing an effective recall and minimizing the impact of any safety issue that arise.

Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ is the industry leader in recall logistics and regulatory compliance for consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL’s professionals are experts in recall management who can help you streamline the entire product recall process.

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