Wednesday, March 9, 2011

CPSIA Database Launches Friday

If you manufacture, import, or even put your logo on a children's product in the U.S., and you have not already registered your company with the new CPSIA database, stop reading this blog and do it now!

A controversial part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvements Act was the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database, where individuals can post safety complaints about consumer products. Manufacturers who register with the database will be given 10 days' notice to respond to these complaints before they are posted on the Internet. If a manufacturer is not registered, the complaints will still be posted in 10 days. It's important to remember that the CPSIA expanded the definition of "manufacturer" far beyond the colloquial usage. Importers, retailers, and private labelers can now be held liable if the product does not comply with the CPSIA.

IAAPA has many issues with the final rule regarding the public database. As we said in our comment letter, we disagree with the expansion of the provisions explaining who may file and what information will be published online. We are also concerned about how the CPSC will handle situations where both a manufacturer and a private labeler are identified. The manufacturing community as a whole is concerned with the potential for abuse and fraud.

Last month, freshman Congressman Mike Pompeo (R-KS), introduced an amendment to the budget Continuing Resolution (H.R. 1) that defunded the CPSIA database until certain issues were addressed, but ultimately the Senate voted down the bill, so the database is set to launch later this week.

IAAPA members can register to be notified of a product complaint at SaferProducts.gov.

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