View source for Consumer Product Safety Commission

{{Organization
|OrganizationName=Consumer Product Safety Commission
|OrganizationType=Independent Agencies
|Mission=The Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. It strives to reduce consumer product hazards through education, safety standard-setting, and regulation enforcement.
|CreationLegislation=Consumer Product Safety Act of 1972
|Employees=500
|Budget=$133 million (fiscal year 2023)
|OrganizationExecutive=Chairman
|Services=Product recalls; Safety standards; Research; Public education
|Regulations=Consumer Product Safety Act; Federal Hazardous Substances Act; Flammable Fabrics Act; Poison Prevention Packaging Act
|HeadquartersLocation=38.98514, -77.08825
|HeadquartersAddress=4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814
|Website=https://www.cpsc.gov
}}
{{Short description|United States government agency}}

{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
| nativename      = 
| nativename_a    = 
| nativename_r    = 
| logo            = 
| logo_width      = 
| logo_caption    = 
| seal            = CPSC Logo.svg
| seal_width      = 
| seal_caption    = Consumer Product Safety Commission’s seal
| formed          = {{Start date and age|1972|10|24}}
| date1           = 
| date1_name      = 
| date2           = 
| date2_name      = 
| preceding1      = 
| preceding2      = 
| dissolved       = 
| superseding     = 
| jurisdiction    = 
| headquarters    = [[Bethesda, Maryland]], U.S.
| employees       = 500<ref name="www.cpsc.gov">{{cite web |url=http://www.cpsc.gov/about/faq.html#whe |title=Contact Information |publisher=CPSC.gov |access-date=2015-05-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116072931/http://www.cpsc.gov/about/faq.html#whe |archive-date=2013-01-16 }}</ref>
| budget          = <!-- http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/reports.html -->
| chief1_name     = [[Alexander Hoehn-Saric]]
| chief1_position = Chairman
| chief2_name     = [[Richard Trumka Jr.]]
| chief2_position = Commissioner
| chief3_name     = [[Peter Feldman (attorney)|Peter Feldman]]
| chief3_position = Commissioner
| chief4_name     = Mary Boyle
| chief4_position = Commissioner
| chief5_name     = Douglas Dziak
| chief5_position = Commissioner
| parent_agency   = 
| child1_agency   = 
| child2_agency   = 
| website         = [http://www.cpsc.gov www.cpsc.gov]
| footnotes       = 
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}}
[[file:CPSC Seal.svg|thumb|Old logo (1972-2018)]]
The '''United States Consumer Product Safety Commission''' ('''USCPSC''', '''CPSC''', or '''commission''') is an [[Independent agencies of the United States government|independent agency of the United States government]].  The CPSC seeks to promote the safety of consumer products by addressing "unreasonable risks" of injury (through coordinating recalls, evaluating products that are the subject of consumer complaints or industry reports, etc.); developing uniform safety standards (some mandatory, some through a voluntary standards process); and conducting research into product-related illness and injury.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2051|title=15 U.S. Code § 2051 - Congressional findings and declaration of purpose|website=LII / Legal Information Institute|access-date=2016-08-24}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpsc.gov//Global/About-CPSC/Nord/NordstatementonBassinetsCradlesFinalRule20130930%20.pdf|title=Statement on the Commission's decision to adopt a safety standard for bassinets and cradles, 16 C.F.R. part 1218|last=Nord|first=Nancy|date=2013-09-30|publisher=CPSC|access-date=2016-08-24}}</ref> The agency was created by section 4 of the [[Consumer Product Safety Act]] in 1972. The agency reports to Congress and the President; it is not part of any other department or agency in the federal government.<ref name="faq">{{cite web |url=http://www.cpsc.gov/about/faq.html |title=Contact Information |publisher=CPSC.gov |access-date=2015-05-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116072931/http://www.cpsc.gov/about/faq.html |archive-date=2013-01-16 }}</ref> The CPSC has five commissioners, who are nominated by the [[President of the United States|president]] and confirmed by the [[United States Senate|Senate]] for staggered seven-year terms.<ref name="faq"/> Historically, the commission was often run by three commissioners or fewer.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-23/html/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-23.htm|title = Consumer Product Safety Commission: Better Data Needed to Help Identify and Analyze Potential Hazards|date = 1997-10-23|journal = GAO Reports|access-date = 2016-02-02|publisher = U.S. General Accounting Office|at = n.3}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="www.cpsc.gov"/>

==Leadership==
The commissioners of the CPSC are appointed by the U.S. president and with the consent of the U.S. Senate. As with some other U.S. federal independent agencies, commissioners are selected as members of political parties. Although the president is entitled by statute to select the chairman (with the consent of the Senate),<ref>15 U.S.C. § 2053(a)[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2053 .]</ref> no more than three commissioners may belong to the same party.<ref>15 U.S.C. § 2053(c)[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/2053].</ref> Thus, the president is generally expected to consult with members of the opposite party in the Senate to select members of the commission from the opposite party. The commissioners (including the chairman) vote on selecting the vice chairman, who becomes acting chairman if the chairman’s term ends upon resignation or expiration.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.adlawaccess.com/2017/01/articles/cpsc-commissioner-ann-marie-buerkle-elected-vice-chair-cpsc-under-regulatory-freeze/#page=1|title=CPSC Commissioner Ann Marie Buerkle Elected Vice Chair; CPSC under Regulatory Freeze {{!}} Ad Law Access|date=2017-01-23|newspaper=Ad Law Access|access-date=2017-02-08|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Chairmen ===
[[File:Alexander Hoehn-Saric, CPSC Chair.jpg|thumb|Chairman [[Alexander Hoehn-Saric]]]]
The commission is led by Chairman [[Alexander Hoehn-Saric]], a Democrat. Prior to his 2021 confirmation, the commission had not had a Senate-confirmed chairman since 2017, when [[Elliot F. Kaye]] stepped down as chair following a White House request after Donald Trump’s inauguration.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.consumerprotectioncxn.com/2017/02/1235/|title=Elliot Kaye Steps Down as CPSC Chair|last1=Cardon|first1=Nathan|last2=Millar|first2=Sheila|date=2017-02-09|website=Consumer Protection Connection|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> In March 2020, President Trump nominated Nancy Beck, an official at the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] who previously worked for an association representing the U.S. chemical industry,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/12/10/white-house-considering-former-chemical-industry-executive-lead-consumer-product-safety-commission/|title=Trump may appoint former chemical industry executive to lead Consumer Product Safety Commission|last1=Frankel|first1=Todd C.|last2=Eilperin|first2=Juliet|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref> to chair the commission, but it was not acted on by the Senate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/1687|title=PN1687 - Nomination of Nancy B. Beck for Consumer Product Safety Commission, 116th Congress (2019-2020)|date=2020-03-16|website=www.congress.gov|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Chairmen since 1973
!Name
!Tenure
!Position (acting or full)
|-
|Richard O. Simpson
|14 May 1973– 1 June 1976
|Full
|-
|S. John Byington
|2 June 1976– 30 June 1978
|Full
|-
|Susan B. King
|6 March 1978– 31 January 1981
|Full
|-
|Stuart M. Statler
|1 February 1981 – 31 May 1981
|Acting
|-
|R. David Pittle
|1 June 1981 – 3 August 1981
|Acting
|-
|Nancy Harvey Steorts
|4 August 1981 – 30 December 1984
|Full
|-
|Terrence Scanlon
|31 December 1984 – 20 December 1985
|Full (recess appointment)
|-
|Carol G. Dawson
|21 December 1985 – 31 May 1986
|Acting
|-
|Anne Graham
|1 June 1986 – 16 July 1986
|Acting
|-
|Terrence Scanlon
|17 July 1986 – 3 January 1989
|Full
|-
|Anne Graham
|4 January 1989 – 26 November 1989
|Acting

|-
|Jacqueline Jones-Smith
|27 November 1989 – 9 March 1994
|Full
|-
|Ann Brown
|10 March 1994 – 1 November 2001
|Full
|-
|Thomas Hill Moore
|2 November 2001 – 1 August 2002
|Acting
|-
|[[Hal Stratton]]
|2 August 2002 – 15 July 2006
|Full
|-
|[[Nancy Nord]]
|2006–2009
|Acting
|-
|[[Thomas Hill Moore]]
|2009
|Acting
|-
|[[Inez Tenenbaum]]
|2009–2013
|Full
|-
|[[Robert S. Adler]]
|2013–2014
|Acting
|-
|[[Elliot F. Kaye]]
|2014–2017
|Full
|-
|[[Ann Marie Buerkle]]
|2017–2019
|Acting
|-
|[[Robert S. Adler]]
|2019–2021
|Acting
|-
|[[Alexander Hoehn-Saric]]
|2021–
|Full
|}

===Current commissioners===
[[File:Consumer Product Safety Commission Group Photo 8-16-22.png|alt=Photo of the five members of the CPSC at CPSC headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland|thumb|359x359px|Members of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 2022: (Left to right) Peter Feldman, Dana Baiocco, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, Richard Trumka Jr., and Mary Boyle]] As of March 25, 2024, the commission had a Democratic majority, 3-to-2.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commissioners |url=https://www.cpsc.gov/About-CPSC/Commissioners |access-date=2022-06-26 |website=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission |language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! Name
! Party
! Took office
! Term expires
|-
| {{sortname|Alexander|Hoehn-Saric}} {{small|(Chair)}}
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic
| {{dts|2021|10|12}}
| {{dts|2027|10|27}}
|-
| {{sortname|Peter|Feldman|dab=attorney}}
| {{party shading/Republican}} | Republican
| {{dts|2018|10|05}}
| {{dts|2026|10|27}}
|-
| {{sortname|Richard|Trumka Jr.}}
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic
| {{dts|2021|12|02}}
| {{dts|2028|10|27}}
|-
| {{sortname|Mary T.|Boyle}}
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic
| {{dts|2022|06|30}}
| {{dts|2025|10|27}}
|-
| {{sortname|Douglas|Dziak}}
| {{party shading/Republican}} | Republican
| {{dts|2024|03|25}}
| {{dts|2024|10|27}}
|}

==Scope==
[[image:ATV Safety--Take Knowledge to the Extreme - CPSC.jpg|thumb|150px|All-terrain vehicle safety poster]]
The CPSC regulates the manufacture and sale of more than 15,000 different consumer products, from [[infant bed|cribs]] to [[all-terrain vehicles]]. Products excluded from the CPSC’s jurisdiction include those specifically named by law as under the jurisdiction of other federal agencies. For example, on-road automobiles are regulated by the [[National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]], guns are regulated by the [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives]], and drugs are regulated by the [[Food and Drug Administration]].

==Activities==
The CPSC fulfills its mission by banning dangerous consumer products, establishing safety requirements for other consumer products, issuing recalls of products already on the market, and researching potential hazards associated with consumer products.<ref>{{Cite web|title = About CPSC|url = http://www.cpsc.gov/en/About-CPSC/|website = U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|access-date = 2016-01-14}}</ref>

=== Recalls ===
The aspect of CPSC’s work that most U.S. citizens might recognize is the “recall,” formally a “corrective action” in which a company develops a “a comprehensive plan that reaches throughout the entire distribution chain to consumers who have the product” and addresses a potential or alleged failure of a product.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/8002.pdf|title=Recall Handbook: A Guide for Manufacturers, Importers, Distributors and Retailers on Reporting Under Sections 15 and 37 of the Consumer Product Safety Act and Section 102 of the Child Safety Protection Act and Preparing for, Initiating, and Implementing Product Safety Recalls Including CPSC Fast Track Product Recall Program and use of Social Media|date=March 2012|publisher=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Compliance & Field Operations|location=Bethesda, Maryland|pages=17}}</ref> Recalls are nearly always voluntary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/09/how-the-cpsc-keeps-consumers-safe-from-products-that-get-recalled.html|title=How the CPSC keeps consumers safe from products that get recalled|last=Day|first=Jennifer Schlesinger, Andrea|date=2017-09-09|website=CNBC|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> While many recalls involve consumers returning consumer products to the manufacturer for a replacement or, more rarely, a refund, recalls have also involved tasks such as instructing users on how to clean an item<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2013/Fisher-Price-Recalls-to-Inspect-Rock-N-Play-Infant-Sleepers-Due-to-Risk-of-Exposure-to-Mold/|title=Fisher-Price Recalls to Inspect Rock 'N Play Infant Sleepers Due to Risk of Exposure to Mold|date=2016-07-23|website=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> or publishing a software patch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2014/Nest-Labs-Recalls-to-Repair-Nest-Protect-Smoke-CO-Alarms/|title=Nest Labs Recalls to Repair Nest Protect Smoke CO Alarms|date=2016-07-23|website=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> Most recalls recover very few consumer products, for a variety of hypothesized reasons. Industry and consumer advocates are often at odds over whether recalls need to be more effective, as many consumers may simply discard products that are the subject of recalls. Whether a consumer learns of a recall in the first place is a different question. One commissioner has called for companies to spend as much on recall advertising as the companies do on their advertising of the products before recalls.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cpsc.gov/about-cpsc/commissioner/elliot-f-kaye/statements/statement-of-commissioner-elliot-f-kaye-on-consumer|title=Statement of Commissioner Elliot F. Kaye on Consumer-Friendly Product Recalls: Six Basic Principles That Will Put Safety First and Improve Effectiveness|date=2017-07-19|website=CPSC.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref>

=== Rulemaking ===
The CPSC makes rules about consumer products when it identifies a consumer product hazard that is not already addressed by an industry [[voluntary consensus standards|voluntary consensus standard]], or when Congress directs it to do so. Its rules can specify basic design requirements, or they can amount to product bans, as in the case of small high-powered magnets, which the CPSC attempted to ban.<ref>{{cite web|title=After death and recalls, feds ban high-powered magnets|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/after-deaths-and-recalls-feds-ban-high-powered-magnets/|publisher=CBS News|access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref> For certain infant products, the CPSC regulates even when voluntary standards exist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/Global/About-CPSC/Nord/NordstatementonBassinetsCradlesFinalRule20130930%20.pdf |title=Statement on the Commission's decision to adopt a safety standard for bassinets and cradles, 16 C.F.R. part 1218 |publisher=Cpsc.gov |access-date=2015-05-06}}</ref> The CPSC is required to follow a rigorous, scientific process to develop mandatory rules. Failing to do so can justify the revocation of a rule, as was the case in a Tenth Circuit  decision vacating the CPSC’s ban on small high-powered magnets.<ref>''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15096729491025306680&hl=en&as_sdt=20006 Zen Magnets v. CPSC]'', 841 F.3d 1,141 (10th Cir. 2016).</ref>

===Information gathering & information sharing===
The CPSC learns about unsafe products in several ways. The agency maintains a consumer hotline through which consumers may report concerns about unsafe products or injuries associated with products. Product safety concerns may also be submitted through SaferProducts.gov. The agency also operates the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a probability sample of about 100 [[hospitals]] with 24-hour [[emergency rooms]]. NEISS collects data on consumer product related injuries treated in [[Emergency room|ERs]] and can be used to generate national estimates.

The agency also works with and shares information with other governments, both in the U.S. (with states and public health agencies) and with international counterparts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cpsc.gov/about-cpsc/chairman/speeches/press-event-launching-globalrecalls-web-portal/|title=Statement at press event launching Global Recalls Web Portal, OECD, Brussels, Belgium|last=Tenenbaum|first=Inez|date=2012-11-12|website=CPSC.gov|access-date=2017-08-20}}</ref>

====Publicity & communication====
[[File:Screen shot of CPSC Fireworks Safety Demonstration 2017.png|thumb|Mannequin targeted in CPSC Fireworks Safety Demonstration 2017]]The CPSC works on a variety of publicity campaigns to raise awareness of safety.

===== Fireworks =====
Annually, the CPSC blows up mannequins to demonstrate the dangers of improper use of fireworks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/07/03/the-governments-annual-mannequin-murders-ranked/|title=Analysis - The government's annual mannequin murders, ranked|first=Philip|last=Bump|date=3 July 2017|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|title=CPSC Fireworks Safety Demonstration 2017|date=2017-06-30|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=vC88Eb5lApA|access-date=2018-06-06}}</ref>

===== Drowning prevention =====
''See also [[Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act]]''

In connection with the U.S. swimming season (the northern hemisphere’s summer, roughly May to September), the CPSC conducts the “Pool Safely” campaign to prevent drowning through methods such as building fences and supporting education programs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.poolsafely.gov/|title=Pool Safely|website=Pool Safely|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.watersafetymagazine.com/pool-safely-campaign/|title=Pool Safely Campaign|last=Editor|date=2015-02-13|website=Water Safety Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> Other efforts include attempts to prevent suction entrapment, which can kill by trapping a swimmer underwater, by eviscerating a swimmer’s internal organs (when a suction tube lacks a cover), or otherwise.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thezacfoundation.org/2018/08/25/cpscs-pool-safely-and-the-michael-phelps-foundation-honor-a-decade-of-water-safety/|title=CPSC's Pool Safely And The Michael Phelps Foundation Honor A Decade Of Water Safety|date=2018-08-25|website=The ZAC Foundation|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-31|archive-date=August 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831185946/http://www.thezacfoundation.org/2018/08/25/cpscs-pool-safely-and-the-michael-phelps-foundation-honor-a-decade-of-water-safety/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===== Online PSAs =====
[[File:USCPSC Carbon Monoxide Geese PSA.jpg|thumb|An example of a surrealist PSA made by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission posted online]]

On [[X (formerly Twitter)]], the CPSC has made extensive use of [[Public service announcement|PSA]] images done in a crude [[surrealist]] style, usually consisting of various [[stock images]] put together.<ref>{{Cite Twitter profile|USCPSC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet |user=USCPSC |number=1746187372654473235 |title=Text this picture to everyone you know. |date=2024-01-13 |access-date=2024-10-18}}</ref> on September 20, 2023, the CPSC released an album containing PSA songs in various styles.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/09/20/1199192682/consumer-product-safety-commission-music-album |title=A federal agency wants to give safety tips to young adults. So it's dropping an album |last=Treisman |first=Rachel |date=2023-09-20 |website=NPR |access-date=2024-10-18}}</ref>

===Enforcement===
Since February 2015, the average civil penalty has been $2.9 million.<ref name="schiffhardin.com">{{cite web |url= https://www.schiffhardin.com/insights/publications/2017/cpsc-civil-penalties-a-statistical-analysis |date= 16 February 2017 |title= CPSC Civil Penalties: A Statistical Analysis|first = Jonathan|last = Judge|website = SchiffHardin.com}}</ref> In April 2018, [[Polaris Industries]] agreed to pay a record $27.25 million civil penalty for failing to report defective [[off-road vehicles]].<ref name="cpsc.gov">{{cite web |url= https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2018/Polaris-Agrees-to-Pay-27-25-Million-Civil-Penalty-for-Failure-to-Report-Defective |date=2 April 2018 |title= Polaris Agrees to Pay $27.25 Million Civil Penalty for Failure to Report Defective Recreational Off-Road Vehicles}}</ref>

==Funding and staff==
In 1972 when the agency was created, it had a budget of $34.7 million and 786 staff members. By 2008 it had 401 employees on a budget of $43 million. After the [[Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act]] was passed in the same year that increased significantly, with at least 500 full-time employees with a budget of $136.4 million in ~2014.<ref name=Flaherty2008>Flaherty E. (2008). [http://www2.it.luc.edu/law/activities/publications/clr_vol21_issue3/vol21_issue3/Flaherty_Final_WS.pdf Safety First: The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719231951/http://www2.it.luc.edu/law/activities/publications/clr_vol21_issue3/vol21_issue3/Flaherty_Final_WS.pdf |date=July 19, 2011 }}. ''Loy. Consumer L. Rev.''.</ref> Funding dropped to $127 million as of the commission’s fiscal year 2019 appropriation,<ref>{{cite web|title = Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019|id = div. D, tit. V, Pub. L. 116–6|url = https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-joint-resolution/31/text |date =February 15, 2019 |website = Library of Congress}}</ref> and it continues to have slightly more than 500 employees.<ref>{{Cite book |url= https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/CPSC_2018-2022_Strategic_Plan.pdf|title=Strategic Plan 2018–2022|publisher= U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|year=2018|location=Bethesda, Maryland, United States|pages= 9|access-date=2019-05-10}}</ref>

== Mid-2000s reform following the “Year of the Recall” ==
{{Main|2007 Chinese export recalls|Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act}}
The year 2007 was called the “Year of the Recall” by some CPSC-watchers in the United States. The CPSC worked with manufacturers and importers on a record 473 voluntary recalls that year,<ref name=Flaherty2008/> and other U.S. federal agencies promoted other widely noted recalls. CPSC recalls included many incidents with lead in toys and other children’s products.

=== Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 ===
These issues led to the legislative interest in the reform of the agency, and the final result of these efforts was the passage of the [[Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act]] in 2008. The bill increased funding and staffing for the CPSC, placed stricter limits on lead levels in children’s products (redefined from products intended for children age seven and under to children age twelve and under), restricted certain [[phthalate]]s in children’s toys and child care articles, and required mandatory testing and certification of applicable products. The Danny Keysar Child Product Notification Act required the CPSC to create a public database of recalled products and to provide consumers with a postage-paid postcard for each durable infant or toddler product. This act was named after [[Linda E. Ginzel|Danny Keysar]], who died in a recalled crib.<ref name="Flaherty2008" /> Danny’s parents, [[Linda E. Ginzel]] and [[Boaz Keysar]], founded [[Kids In Danger]] and were instrumental in working with the CPSC to strengthen product safety standards.

=== Creation of public database ===
The [[public database]] ([http://www.saferproducts.gov// saferproducts.gov]), constructed at a cost of around US$3 million and launched in March 2011, “publicizes complaints from virtually anyone who can provide details about a safety problem connected with any of the 15,000 kinds of consumer goods regulated by the CPSC.”<ref name="wp20110412">{{cite news
 |title=Consumer database escapes budget ax |author=Lyndsey Layton
 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/consumer-database-escapes-budget-ax/2011/04/12/AFZIy3eD_story.html
 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=14 April 2011 |at=Post Politics |access-date=16 April 2011 }}</ref> While lauded by consumer advocates for making previously hidden information available, manufacturers have expressed their concern “that most of the complaints are not first vetted by the CPSC before they are made public,” meaning it could be abused and potentially used to target specific brands.<ref name="wp20110412" /> As of mid-April 2011, the database was accruing about 30 safety complaints per day.<ref name="wp20110412" /> By June 2018, the database had 36,544 reports, with an average of approximately 13.74 reports filed each day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://consumerfed.org/saferproducts-gov-puts-power-into-the-hands-of-the-consumer/|title=SaferProducts.gov Puts Power into the Hands of the Consumer · Consumer Federation of America|date=2018-08-20|website=Consumer Federation of America|language=en-US|access-date=2019-05-10}}</ref>

==Controversies==

=== Recall of inclined infant sleepers in 2019===
In 2019, the CPSC recalled inclined sleepers sold by multiple companies (including Mattel Fisher-Price’s Rock ’n Play<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/Fisher-Price-Recalls-Rock-n-Play-Sleepers-Due-to-Reports-of-Deaths/|title= Fisher-Price Recalls Rock 'n Play Sleepers Due to Reports of Deaths|date=2019-04-12|website=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|language=en|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> as well as Kids II’s<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/Kids-II-Recalls-All-Rocking-Sleepers-Due-to-Reports-of-Deaths|title=Kids II Recalls All Rocking Sleepers Due to Reports of Deaths|date=2019-04-26|website=CPSC|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> and Dorel’s rocking sleepers sold under a variety of brand names). The recalled products were associated with more than 30 infant deaths according to contemporary news reports.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/how-fisher-price-invented-a-popular-baby-sleeper-without-safety-tests-and-kept-it-on-the-market-even-as-babies-died/2019/05/30/78c2707a-7731-11e9-b3f5-5673edf2d127_story.html|title=Fisher-Price invented a popular baby sleeper without medical safety tests and kept selling it, even as babies died|last=Frankel|first=Todd|date=2019-05-30|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> The controversy was among those that were tied to Acting Chairman [[Ann Marie Buerkle|Ann Marie Burekle]]’s announcement of her intention to step down after waiting for years for the U.S. Senate to act on her nomination to serve an additional term and be formally elevated to full chairmanship.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/head-of-product-safety-agency-to-step-down/2019/06/18/5421c818-91eb-11e9-b72d-d56510fa753e_story.html|title=Consumer Product Safety Commission's acting chairwoman plans to step down|last=Frankel |first=Todd C.|date=2019-06-18|newspaper=The Washington Post|url-access=limited|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190618210839/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/head-of-product-safety-agency-to-step-down/2019/06/18/5421c818-91eb-11e9-b72d-d56510fa753e_story.html|archive-date = 18 June 2019}}</ref>

=== Recall of jogging strollers in 2019 after settlement in 2018 ===
The CPSC sued the maker of Britax jogging strollers, then settled with the company, in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/after-hundreds-of-crashes-this-britax-jogging-stroller-faced-recall-then-trump-appointees-stepped-in/2019/04/02/faf23c20-4c06-11e9-b79a-961983b7e0cd_story.html|title=After hundreds of crashes, this Britax jogging stroller faced recall. Then Trump appointees stepped in.|last=Frankel|first=Todd|date=2019-04-02|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> Reports attributed the change to the change in personnel after Republicans gained a majority on the commission,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/04/03/709573914/how-a-stroller-company-avoided-a-recall-with-help-from-the-chair-of-the-cpsc|title=How A Stroller Company Avoided A Recall With Help From The Chair Of The CPSC |last1=Cornish |first1=Audie |author-link=Audie Cornish|last2=Frankel|first2=Todd|author-link2=Todd Frankel|date=2019-04-03|website=NPR.org|language=en|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> although some commentators noted the unusual circumstances of the commission suing over a product that met existing standards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1032031/why-cpsc-sued-to-recall-stroller-that-met-standards|title=Why CPSC Sued To Recall Stroller That Met Standards |last1=Millar |first1=Sheila |last2=Cardon |first2=Nathan |date=2018-04-11 |website=Law360 |language=en|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> The 2018 settlement included the company’s agreement to provide a replacement part to consumers. The replacement part—a bolt—itself was later recalled<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2019/Britax-Recalls-Modified-Thru-Bolt-Axles-for-Use-with-BOB-Jogging-Strollers-Distributed-Through-the-BOB-Information-Campaign-Due-to-Fall-and-Injury-Hazards-Recall-Alert/|title=Britax Recalls Modified Thru-Bolt Axles for Use with BOB Jogging Strollers Distributed Through the BOB Information Campaign Due to Fall and Injury Hazards (Recall Alert)|date=2019-07-25|website=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission|language=en|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> because it broke easily.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/britax-avoided-one-recall-for-its-bob-stroller-but-its-crash-fix-leads-to-a-recall-now/2019/07/25/8fea37e0-af19-11e9-8e77-03b30bc29f64_story.html|title=Britax avoided one recall for its BOB stroller. But its crash fix leads to a recall now. |last=Frankel |first=Todd |date=2019-07-25|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref>

=== Attempt to ban small, high-powered magnets in 2012===
{{Main|Neodymium magnet toys}}

In 2012, following reports of consumers (mostly children) ingesting small, high-powered magnets made of rare earth materials such as neodymium, the commission voted to block sales of Maxfield & Oberton’s Buckyballs-branded toys,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/pdfs/foia_maxfieldoberton.pdf |title=Record of Commission Action for Administrative Complaint against Maxfield and Oberton Holdings, LLC (Briefing package dated July 23, 2012, OS No. 5274)|date=2012-06-23 |publisher=U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission}}</ref> and later voted to issue a rule that would amount to a ban on all similar toys.<ref>Nord, Nancy (Aug. 27, 2012), “[https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/pdfs/nord08272012.pdf Statement on the Commission’s decision to publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Magnet Sets]". CPSC.gov. Retrieved 2019-08-31.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/should_this_toy_be_saved|title=Should this toy be saved?|last=Carter|first=Terry|date=2013-05-01|website=ABA Journal|language=en|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> Later, however, a federal appellate court overturned the ban, finding that the Commission had moved forward without adequate data.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shihan-qu-zen-magnets-cpsc_n_599216a4e4b08a247276b0ea|title=How One Man's Quest to Save His Magnets Became a Massive Regulatory Battle|last=Kutner|first=Jeremy|date=2017-08-21|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> The decision vacating the ban was written by later-Supreme Court Justice [[Neil Gorsuch]].

=== Industry-sponsored travel from 2002 to 2007 ===
On November 2, 2007, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reported that between 2002 and the date of their report, former chairman [[Hal Stratton]] and current commissioner and former acting chairman [[Nancy Nord]] had taken more than 30 trips paid for by manufacturing groups or lobbyists representing industries that are under the supervision of the agency. According to the ''Post'', the groups paid for over $60,000 travel and related expenses during this time.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/01/AR2007110102732.html?hpid=topnews|title=Industries Paid for Top Regulators' Travel|last=Williamson|first=Elizabeth|date=2007-11-02|access-date=2007-11-02|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

=== Surviving challenges to the commission’s continued existence in 1981 ===
The CPSC’s creation was not without controversy, and the agency survived attempts to close it in its first decades. In 1981, President Ronald [[Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Reagan’s]] [[OMB Director|head]] of the [[Office of Management and Budget|Office of Management & Budget]], [[David Stockman]], sought to end the authorization for the agency to move it inside the [[United States Department of Commerce|Department of Commerce]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/05/10/reagan-wants-to-ax-product-safety-agency/d8c1749f-87ea-4483-bf1f-370f41ef6b0b/ |title=Reagan Wants to Ax Product Safety Agency|last=Brown|first=Merrill|date=1981-05-10|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> The agency was given a new lease on life following agreement among U.S. senators.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/07/us/2-key-senators-agree-to-a-reprieve-for-consumer-product-safety-unit.html|title=2 Key Senators Agree to a Reprieve for Consumer Product Safety Unit|last=Sulzberger | first=A. O. Jr. |date=1981-05-07|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-08-31|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Politics}}
* [[Child-resistant packaging]]
* [[Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act]]
* [[Injury prevention]]
* [[Lead-based paint in the United States]]
* [[Title 16 of the Code of Federal Regulations]]
* [[Toy safety]]

{{commons category|United States Consumer Product Safety Commission}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|1=http://www.cpsc.gov/}}
* [https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/consumer-product-safety-commission Consumer Product Safety Commission] in the [[Federal Register]]
* [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-II Consumer Product Safety Commission] in the [[Code of Federal Regulations]]
* [https://www.usaspending.gov/agency/consumer-product-safety-commission Consumer Product Safety Commission] on [[USAspending.gov]]
* [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-387/uslm/COMPS-387.xml Federal Hazardous Substances Act] ([https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-387/pdf/COMPS-387.pdf PDF]/[https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/COMPS-387/ details]) as amended in the [[United States Government Publishing Office|GPO]] [https://www.govinfo.gov/help/comps Statute Compilations collection]
*[http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43297.pdf The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and International Trade: Legal Issues] [[Congressional Research Service]]

{{Presidency of Richard Nixon}}
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[[Category:U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission| ]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1972]]
[[Category:Bethesda, Maryland]]
[[Category:Independent agencies of the United States government]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Maryland]]
[[Category:Product safety]]