CPSC database now has over 200 incidents posted; survived appropriation process

First, thanks to all of you who emailed or called Congress expressing your support for the new consumer incident database, SaferProducts.gov, at CPSC. If you haven't visited yet, check out the Search page and see what incidents consumers have already filed.

But during last weekend's debate on keeping the government open, discussion of eliminating funding for this important safety program continued. In the end, the final agreed bill did not include a defunding of the database. It did however contain a required study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be conducted within 180 days.

The proposed study has to examine:

• whether the information that is submitted is from first-hand knowledge;
• whether the complaint information is adequate for CPSC investigative purposes;
• whether the product information is sufficient to enable consumers and stakeholders to identify the product; and
• whether the time allotment before posting complaints is reasonable for adjudication of claims.

However, with spending discussions continuing in Congress, additional action could still be taken. But having spent the money to conduct this study, any possible changes to the database should wait for any results.

Saferproducts.gov now has consumer reports posted

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.

More on the database, four days after launch

Have you gone to check out SaferProducts.gov? That's the new CPSCsite dedicated to the publicly available consumer safety incident database.

Consumers and others can report problems with products, incidents and injuries related to consumer products. CPSC has always had an online form for reporting, but now, most reports will become part of the public database.

Remember that this is a site to report safety issues, not product reliability or quality, except as they affect safety. So if the infant seat doesn't swing like it shows on the package, that is a quality issue, perhaps to be reported to customer service or an online product rating site. But if the motor that is supposed run the swing gets so hot it melts its casing and starts a fire, that is a safety issue and should be reported here, to CPSC.

Gather and input as much information about the product as possible – including identifying information such as model name or number, date of manufacture, etc. The more complete the report, the more likely it is to be posted and to provide CPSC with the information they need to assess the risk and take action if needed. CPSC has helpful pop-ups on the form that will help you find the needed information.

You need to provide your name and contact information for your incident to go into the database, but that information will not be posted and will only be released to the manufacturer with your permission. Giving the manufacturer your contact information, either through the CPSC form or by reporting directly to the manufacturer will allow them to fully investigate your incident and determine if action is needed. If you choose to file a report anonymously, CPSC will still get the incident information, but it will not go into the public database.

Manufacturers have 10 days after they are notified of a report by CPSC to review it for material inaccuracy. The best way to have the full 10 days is to register now with CPSC. The report will then be sent automatically.

Then, the report, if it has all the necessary information will be posted online. Right now, you can see the format here which CPSC has populated now with recall notices. Once the database has injury and incident reports, those will show up here too.

If you have problems reporting incidents or finding the data you need, let CPSC know. They already have great tools on the site to help both consumers and businesses navigate the system. We’d also love to hear of your experiences with the new database in the comments below.

Important Consumer Tool Launched Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A coalition of consumer and safety groups today applauded the launch of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s consumer product safety information database that would allow people to share and access safety information about the products they own and consider buying.

The groups -- Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Kids In Danger, Public Citizen, Union of Concerned Scientists, and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group -- hailed the launch as a major step forward in educating consumers about product safety hazards and improving the CPSC’s ability to identify and act on problems in the marketplace. The database is up and running today online at www.SaferProducts.gov.

The database is required under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) approved by Congress and signed by President Bush in 2008. As the debate over the federal budget continues in Congress, some lawmakers have pushed to defund the database. Manufacturers have also been pushing to undermine the database.

The CPSC has historically collected consumer complaints, but because the agency has been required to obtain the approval of companies before it could communicate with the public about a specific product, the information has been kept from the public for months or even years. The consumer complaint database will help shed light on the safety of products currently in the marketplace.

The CPSC database contains an array of protections to ensure that inaccurate information does not get published. Anonymous complaints will not be permitted, and only safety-related information will be posted. Complaints will not be considered for publication if 8 specific minimum fields are not completed. Businesses also get to see every report of harm before it is placed in the database, and have the opportunity to correct inaccurate information and to provide their own comments. These measures provide an appropriate balance between transparency for consumers and providing protections for manufacturers.

Rachel Weintraub, Director of Product Safety and Senior Counsel at Consumer Federation of America, stated, “Consumers will no longer be left in the dark about product safety -- they will now have access to lifesaving information. The CPSC will also be able to more nimbly identify and act upon safety hazards. The database carefully balances the need to bring safety complaints to light, while also allowing manufacturers to review submissions and provide comments.”

Ami Gadhia, policy counsel for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, said, “This is safety news consumers can use. Once the database is up and running, we think fears raised about the database will be shown to be unnecessary. This database will be a useful tool for consumers.”

Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids In Danger, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting children from unsafe products, added, “This crucial tool will help parents keep their families safe. The database will fling open the windows at CPSC and allow consumers to learn of dangerous products before it is too late. The decades of hiding injuries and deaths for months or even years will end. Parents trust a lot of products with their children’s lives. The database puts information in the hands of those who need it most.”

Christine Hines, Public Citizen’s consumer and civil justice counsel, agreed. “Today begins a new era in consumer product safety - one that will empower consumers to help themselves to identify hazardous products. That’s why it’s imperative that Congress follows up its commendable action in creating the database by ensuring it continues to thrive with appropriate funding.”

Liz Hitchcock, U.S. PIRG Public Health Advocate, said, “The information exchange that SaferProducts.gov will provide for consumers is going to prevent injuries and save lives.”

Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D., President of the National Research Center for Women & Families/ Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund stated, “The product safety database will give everyone the information they need to help protect themselves and their families. It’s a simple but effective strategy that will save lives and improve the quality of our lives.”

Celia Wexler, Washington Representative, Scientific Integrity Program, Union of Concerned Scientists, said, "The new database strengthens the transparency of CPSC and will enable scientists and researchers, both inside and outside the agency, to spot trends early and pro-actively. The ability to respond to problems before product defects harm scores of consumers benefits both the public and businesses.”

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Tomorrow is the day

It feels a little like the eve of the first day of school – some of us are very excited and can’t wait; others, not so much.

Tomorrow, CPSC will launch their new publically-accessible consumer database at saferproducts.gov. Now, just as is already the case with cars, medicine and medical devices, consumers will have a place to report incidents with products as well as look for safety information that other consumers might have entered. Manufacturers seem to be dreading the change in the current situation – where they have all the power to determine what safety information consumers know about their products.

We'll have more tomorrow on using the database.

For today, here are some statements from parents who have already lost children to unsafe products – they know the importance of this new database.

The CPSC database gives parents, grandparents, families, friends, medical personnel, and even retailers, IMMEDIATE and FREE access to information regarding problems reported on a particular product, not just those few which rise to the surface because a child has either died or been seriously injured by the product. By that time, it is dangerously too late. It could take months, as it did in Ellie’s case, before the public has knowledge of this essential information.

Lisa, mother of Ellie who was killed in a Graco play yard with a changing table accessory in 2002.

I firmly believe that if such a database was in effect in the 1990s my son, Tyler, would be alive today. Tyler died when a dangerous drop side crib strangled him. Tyler was not the first (and sadly, not the last) to die due to the inherently flawed crib design. If I, as a consumer, knew about the other babies who died in drop side cribs I would never have purchased that deathtrap. A public database would have empowered me to make a more informed decision about a product intended to be my Tyler’s safe haven.

Michelle, mother of Tyler, who died in 1998, entrapped by a drop-side crib.

If I had known there had been children killed in drop-sides, it would have swayed me against them.

Nicola, mother of Liam, who died in 2005 in a Graco-branded Simplicity drop-side crib. The report to CPSC sat hidden for two years because of confusion over the manufacturer of the crib.

KID believes this database is an important tool for consumers – both to report information they believe will keep other consumers safe and to research products they own or are considering purchasing. It will give CPSC and others tools to identify emerging hazards and injury trends. Contrary to the fears of some – KID won’t be entering data – we’ll be too busy making sure parents are aware of this great safety resource.

Days away from launch, public safety database still faces threats.

The database CPSC has been working on for two and a half years is days away from launch. It will go live on Friday, March 11. CPSC has carefully crafted the site to both solicit important safety information from consumers and encourage accurate reporting. The database will provide consumers with a place to report injury and safety information and provide consumers, researchers and the CPSC with important information on injury trends and emerging hazards.

The CPSC did a soft launch of the database last month. That just means it was live, but the information wasn't made public. The results? 900 reports -- only four were 'materially inaccurate.' And two of those had the wrong manufacturer listed and were easily corrected. One manufacturer/importer at ICPHSO last week said that of the 50 reports they got, 90% agreed to give the manufacturer their contact information, providing a way to verify the information. Some manufacturers told us they didn't receive any reports during the month, others that they had a few and all were reasonable reports of a consumer's experience. So perhaps the sky won't fall next week after all.

But that doesn't stop the attacks. After all, for years manufacturers have been able to hide virtually all injury reports from the public. The status quo means consumers continue to use products that have been involved in numerous injuries or even deaths. The sunshine the database brings means more educated consumers and ultimately, safer products.

The House adopted an amendment to the Continuing Resolution they sent to the Senate that defunds the database -- a move that wastes the money already spent rather than saving money and is designed to stop injury data from coming to light.

If you haven't already contacted your US Senators, please do so and urge them to oppose any "Keep American Families in the Dark" efforts to stop the database.

CPSC announces "soft launch" of consumer database

Today on its SaferProducts.gov website, CPSC has begun taking reports of injuries or incidents with dangerous products -- a trial run of their Public Database required under CPSIA. The catch is that this trial (reports prior to March 11, 2011) will not be made public.

CPSC is announcing this soft-launch to test the reporting form and make sure it all runs smoothly for the real launch in March. But even though the reports won't be public, they will be used in CPSC investigations of product hazards.

Businesses can also register to expedite the process of learning about consumer reports and responding.

We'll try to get more information about the process during this trial, but if you have an incident to report -- your child was injured, a toy appears dangerous, etc, please give this new system a try and let KID know what you think in the comments below.

CPSC approves landmark public database

After a sometimes raucous debate, the Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 3-2 to approve the final rules for the public database required by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. Starting in March 2011, consumers will be able to file reports on products and other consumers and researchers will have access to that information.

Much of the discussion centered around who could report to the database. Commissioners Nord and Northup want to limit it to those with first hand knowledge only and Commissioner Adler and Chairman Tenenbaum spoke eloquently on the risk of limiting information reported -- covering up injuries.

Danny Keysar, whose parents founded KID, found his way into the discussion. Since no one was in the room when Danny died and it occurred in child care, not his parent's home, Commissioner Adler was concerned that under the more narrow definition brought by the minority, Danny's death might have gone unreported.

But in the end the broad definition prevailed. This will allow parents and caregivers to keep their own children safe and allow researchers and others to use the information to identify unsafe products and injury trends -- leading to safer products in the future.

In his closing remarks, Commissioner Adler dedicated the database to the memories of children injured by unsafe products: Danny, Ellie and Tyler.

We commend the Commission staff for their incredible hard work in putting together the rule and the Commission for moving forward.

By the way -- in the meantime, if you have an incident with a consumer product, you can report it now to the CPSC. While reports after March 2011 will be public, CPSC has always accepted such consumer input and it has led to many recalls.