Saferproducts.gov, the new searchable database at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) went live for reports on March 11. Now, as the three week timeline for processing the reports comes to an end, CPSC has begun posting those reports. KID, while not busy defending CPSIA in the House, has taken a look and recommends you do too.
The reports are varied. Some cover known hazards such as crib failures, fingertip amputation hazards in strollers, and the continuing reports of rashes from diapers. Others raise new potential issues: loosening hardware on cribs, breaking toys and rattles releasing small parts, and possible design problems in other products.
Also of interest is the manufacturer response. Some, use the comment space to indicate a real commitment to safety, while others reassert their compliance with voluntary standards or to even negate the parent’s report.
One report, while including a catalog page with the exact product reported, included a business response that the information was insufficient to tell if it was their product. Huh?
So please, take a look for yourselves and let us know what you think about the database — will it be a useful tool for researching product safety or identifying emerging hazards? It might be a little hard to tell with just a week’s worth of reports, but we’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment here or on our Twitter or Facebook pages.
