The CPSC and Voluntary Safety Standards
In a Washington Post article yesterday noting a 46 percent drop in the number of toy recalls, Consumer Product Safety Commission Acting Chair Nancy Nord partially attributed the significant decrease of dangerous toys on the shelves to stronger voluntary safety standards. Ironically though, at a conference last month, Nord told her audience that the agency’s voluntary standards work will be scaled back, and data reports and important “safety work” would be delayed. She blamed the cut back on the agency’s implementation of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was enacted this summer. According to Nord, the CPSC is unable to implement the new law and conduct other important safety activities at the same time.