The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has created a new online consumer product safety database at www.saferproducts.gov.
Consumers can use the database to submit reports of harm or risks of harm from products and to search for safety information on products they own or are considering buying, the CPSC said.
The database, which went live March 11, was mandated by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
Following procedures set up by the law, the CPSC will review all online reports and has five business days to transmit qualifying reports to the manufacturer. Manufacturers then have 10 business days to respond and provide comments. At the end of the 10–day period, if all requirements are met, the report and the manufacturer’s comments will be posted on the website.
“It is important that consumers provide CPSC with information that is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge,” the CPSC said. “Reports lacking required information will not be published. Similarly, information in a report…determined to be materially inaccurate within the 10 days (it is) provided to manufacturers to respond will not be published. Reports that potentially contain confidential information will have such information taken out before the report is posted.”
Manufacturers can register through the website’s Business Portal so that they can receive copies and respond to reports about their products in a timelier manner via email.
“We will continue to accept written, phone and fax reports, as we have for decades,” said CPSC Chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum. “What is new and significant is that we are launching an up–to–date system for letting consumers review safety reports alongside manufacturer comments about those reports.”
The International Sleep Products Association and other manufacturing groups have been critical of some components of the database and support changes to the law that would tighten consumer reporting requirements and make the process less onerous for manufacturers.
