Legal Definitions - Consumer Product Safety Commission

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government. Its primary role is to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with consumer products. The CPSC achieves this by developing and enforcing safety standards, banning hazardous products, and conducting research to prevent product-related accidents, illnesses, and fatalities.

Here are some examples illustrating the CPSC's role:

• Imagine a new trend of smart home devices, such as internet-connected baby monitors. The CPSC might investigate potential vulnerabilities, like choking hazards from small parts or cybersecurity risks that could compromise a child's privacy. Based on their findings, they could then establish new mandatory safety standards for all manufacturers of such devices, requiring specific design features or software security protocols to ensure consumer safety.

  This illustrates the CPSC's role in developing safety standards for new or evolving consumer products to prevent injuries (choking) or other harms (privacy breaches).

• A popular brand of electric scooters is found to have a defect in its battery system, causing some units to overheat and catch fire while charging. After receiving reports from consumers and conducting its own investigation, the CPSC would work with the manufacturer to issue a nationwide recall. This involves notifying consumers, instructing them on how to return the product for repair or refund, and ensuring the dangerous products are removed from the market.

  This demonstrates the CPSC's function in identifying hazardous products already in circulation and taking action, such as issuing recalls, to prevent product-related injuries like burns or property damage from fires.

• The CPSC might notice a rise in injuries related to certain types of outdoor recreational equipment, like trampolines or inflatable pools, especially among children. They could then launch a public awareness campaign, publishing safety guidelines, statistics, and best practices for safe use. They might also fund research into safer trampoline designs or pool fencing requirements to further reduce accidents.

  This highlights the CPSC's commitment to promoting research into injury causes and educating the public about prevention, thereby fulfilling its mission to reduce product-related deaths, illnesses, and injuries through proactive measures.