Consumer Product Safety Act

WHAT RESPONSIBILITY does a company have to inform existing and potential consumers of unsafe products? The Consumer Product Safety Act was enacted in 1972 as a response to perceptions that product liability laws did not sufficiently protect consumers from unsafe products. To implement the act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission was created. The Commission was made responsible for administering additional consumer protection laws, including the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and the Flammable Fabrics Act.

The commission has a broad jurisdiction over items specifically designated consumer products, which are defined as “any article or part produced for sale to a consumer for use in a household, in a school, or in recreation.” All consumer products are subject to the act's mandatory, minimum reporting requirements. Penalties for failing ...