Consumer Product Safety Commission

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The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government created in 1972 through the Consumer Safety Act to protect “against unreasonable risks of injuries associated with consumer products”. As of 2006 its acting chairman is Nancy Nord, a Republican. Normally the board has three commissioners. However, in July 2006, the former chairman, Hal Stratton, a Republican, resigned, leaving one seat vacant. The other commissioner is Thomas Hill Moore, a Democrat. The board can operate with a legal quorum for six months with two commissioners, or until January 2007. If the president has not appointed a third commissioner by that time, the board cannot act.

The CPSC has the authority to regulate the sale and manufacture of more than 15,000 different consumer products, from cribs to all-terrain vehicles, and from barbecue grills to swimming pools. Products not under jurisdiction of the CPSC include those specifically named by law as under the jurisdiction of other federal agencies; for example, automobiles are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), guns are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATFE), and drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

CPSC fulfills its mission to protect consumers against unreasonable risk of injury by developing voluntary and mandatory standards, banning dangerous consumer products, issuing recalls of products already on the market, and researching potential hazards associated with consumer products. CPSC learns about unsafe products in several ways. The agency maintains a consumer hotline and website through which consumers may report concerns about unsafe products or injuries associated with products. The agency also operates the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, and a probability sample of about 100 hospitals with 24-hour emergency rooms. NEISS collects data on consumer product related injuries treated in ERs and can be used to generate national estimates.