Expert Recall

Bu Howard Aughinbaugh

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Inez Tenenbaum recently said her agency has been able to bring parents and consumers a renewed confidence as they reach for toys on store shelves. To support her statement, Tenenbaum cited a significant decline in toy recalls in 2009 compared with 2008 and a large decrease in lead paint recalls as well during the same period.

While staggering recall numbers may sound like good news, it would be risky to relax your recall planning efforts. Now is the time to check your recall preparedness and address the new consumer product recall regulations that have recently gone into effect. It is imperative that companies understand what the CPSC’s new initiatives and campaigns could mean for the recall process in the future, and how they could force you to pull more products off store shelves.

Tenenbaum and her staff recently appeared at the International Consumer Product Health & Safety Organization’s (ICPHSO) 2010 Annual Meeting, leading workshops and discussing the Commission’s new initiatives. It was during this event that Tenenbaum discussed last year’s recall numbers and her plans for the agency moving forward. In her keynote address, Tenenbaum outlined six priorities for 2010:

1. Implement a SAFE SLEEP initiative for babies and toddlers;
2. Modernize the agency, including implementing a product incident database and opening a new product testing facility;
3. Continue working on pending CPSIA rulemakings;
4. Implement an expansive information and education campaign tied to the Pool and Spa Safety Act;
5. Conduct a minority outreach campaign on issues pertaining to product safety; and
6. Conduct an operational review of the Agency and develop a new five-year strategic plan.

During the meeting, Tenenbaum argued that product safety in the United States is strong – and only getting stronger. After a tumultuous 2007 and 2008, Tenenbaum called 2009 “a year of change” for her agency. According to Tenenbaum, the CPSC has brought in new staff with a new way of thinking. In fact, the agency opened its first overseas office in Beijing to help manage product safety internationally. The agency has also been granted new powers over product safety, including recalls, and has received an increased budget to exercise those additional responsibilities.

All this suggests that the CPSC is investigating product safety more aggressively than ever before. And we can expect this trend to continue into the foreseeable future. While some of the agency’s initiatives will be clarified in the coming months, new campaigns will surface that likely will further change the way manufacturers and retailers do business.

Tenenbaum clearly demonstrated her determination, and the determination of her staff, to make sure that products sold in this country are safe.  You and your company must show the same determination in preparing to mitigate risks associated with the agency’s expanding list of product safety measures.  And recalls are just one of them.

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.

One Response to “The CPSC’s Six Priorities for 2010”

1. Infant Products Subject to Stricter Standards, Thanks to CPSIA | ExpertRECALL says:

   May 3, 2010 at 5:26 pm

   [...] we mentioned earlier this year, one of the CPSC’s top priorities for 2010 is to ensure a safe sleep environment for babies and toddlers. Now the Federal Register has [...]