Posted by the CTL Web Team on November 24, 2008
The
recent statement by President-elect Obama’s transition team in a Wall Street Journal article on
strengthening the CPSC includes needed steps to address product recalls. The current
government grants companies enormous latitude in how to handle recalls,
including how, and even whether, to advertise the recall to customers so they
know to turn in the product. Of course, it's no surprise that Wal-Mart has led
the industry in negligence in this area, including allowing tainted food,
defective products from China
and dangerous toys to remain on its shelves. Lee Scott's and Wal-Mart's
publicized fight to prevent Obama’s election was driven by the company's
ruthless attempts to avoid any kind of regulation, including over product
safety. So the incoming Administration is right to call for giving companies
less discretion and independence over how recalls take place. This is a
good idea, considering last month, Wal-Mart's “taking the recall into its own
hands” for lead-tainted toy animals proved inadequate since the retailer failed
to communicate crucial information to consumers such as how many toys were
sold, when, and where.
Obama Signals Tougher Regulations at Federal Agencies
President-elect Barack Obama is signaling by a combination of words and
deeds that his administration will toughen regulations at federal agencies that
oversee consumer products, environmental policy and workplace safety.
Mr. Obama has named a number of people to his transition teams for regulatory
agencies who favor a firmer government hand in overseeing industry behavior. In
addition, Mr. Obama has indicated in a series of pre-election letters to a big
federal employee union that he intends to take a more pro-union approach on
labor questions than his predecessor, and give agencies such as the
Environmental Protection Agency more money.
Read More
Posted by the CTL Web Team on October 21, 2008
Infant Death Prompts Recall to
Repair 985,000 Delta Enterprise Drop Side Cribs; Missing Safety Pegs
Can Cause Entrapment and Suffocation Hazards
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Delta
Enterprise Corp., of New
York, New York., is announcing the voluntary recall to
replace missing safety pegs involving 985,000 drop side cribs. Failure to use or
install safety pegs can cause an entrapment and suffocation risk to infants and
toddlers.
When the safety pegs in the base of
each leg of the crib are missing from the lower track, the crib locks can
disengage and detach if lowered below the peg hole, creating a hazardous gap.
This gap can lead to the entrapment and suffocation of an infant or
toddler.
Read More
Posted by the CTL Web Team on August 14, 2008
Despite some concerns, President Bush on Thursday signed into law an overhaul of the national product-safety system that will raise funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, tighten inspection and testing rules, and create a public database for consumer complaints. See the
full story from
Marketwatch.com.
Posted by the CTL Web Team on August 14, 2008
A family celebrates a recent piece of legislation that would impose the toughest lead standards in the world, banning lead beyond minute levels in products for children 12 or younger. See the
full story from the
Associated Press.
Posted by the CTL Web Team on August 14, 2008
The USA Today investigates how today's complicated and elusive produce supply chain makes tracing tainted produce a hard task. See the
full article in the
USA Today.
Posted by the CTL Web Team on August 12, 2008
Whole Foods Market said Monday it would tighten oversight of its suppliers to keep substandard products out of stores, after recalling ground beef that apparently sickened customers in two states. See the
full article in the
New York Times.
Posted by the CTL Web Team on August 12, 2008
Three legislators met Sunday in Chicago to urge President George W. Bush to sign a bill this week that would create a near ban on lead in children's toys and equipment, and create several other consumer safety improvements. See the
full story in the
Chicago Tribune.
Posted by the CTL Web Team on August 11, 2008
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Harbor Freight Tools halogen work lights because of a fire and shock hazard. See the
full story from
UPI.
Posted by the CTL Web Team on August 11, 2008
Atlanta's airport has begun warning travelers of the dangers of "shoe entrapment" on escalators. The safety campaign follows a recent rash of injuries on escalators at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. See the
full story from MSNBC.com
Posted by the CTL Web Team on August 08, 2008
After years of legal wrangling, Monsanto wants to sell its milk business—specifically, POSILAC, the bovine growth hormone given to cows to boost their production of milk. See the
full story in
Scientific American.
