CPSC Voluntary Remedial Actions and Guidelines Final Rule

CPSC Voluntary Recall The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has proposed amendments to its Voluntary Remedial Actions and Guidelines that would make corrective action plans for product recalls legally binding, which is a departure from over forty years of working with manufacturers on recalls and could impact liability risks for companies.

Previously if a manufacturer, distributor or retailer reported to the CPSC a consumer product that had violated a standard or created a substantial risk of injury or death to the public, they were allowed to negotiate and create a voluntary “corrective action plan” (CAP) that would “fast track” recall remediation measures and notify consumers.

Unlike mandatory CAP’s, voluntary CAP’s are not legally binding which allows companies to diverge from the CAP and in some cases not accomplish the CPSC’s desired results of the recall. In September of this year, the CPSC proposed a rulemaking to the standardized recall agreements based on studies which showed that product recalls seldom were totally successful.

In November of this year the Commission approved by a margin of 3 – 1, the proposed rulemaking to standardized recall provisions and make voluntary recall agreements legally binding. This means that the CPSC will have greater input into what will be required in the voluntary CAP’s which in some cases could include the creation of mandatory compliance systems within the company that would address issues arising out of the product recall.

For example, the CPSC could impose enhancements to the company’s existing compliance policies by ensuring that its ongoing program contains written standards and policies, a mechanism for confidential employee reporting of compliance related questions or concerns, and appropriate communication of company compliance policies to all employees through training programs.

The new rule would give the requirements within the voluntary CAP teeth by allowing the court system to get involved when violations occur. While Commissioner Robert Adler, who proposed the new rule, admitted that the violation of corrective action plans has not been a “big problem,” he explained that even if one corrective action plan is violated, “that [violation] may leave hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of consumers at risk of a defective product.”

Time for Small Batch Manufacturers to Reapply for Exemption for 2014

Small Batch Registration Deadline

 

NOTE that if you are a registered small batch manufacturer with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for calendar year 2013 and you wish to continue in this status, you must register again for calendar year 2014.  Registration must be submitted annually.  On or about December 1st, 2013, the CPSC will release instructions on how to renew your registration.

 

If you qualify and if you are a manufacturer of children’s products and produce in small batches, it is critical that you register for a small batch exemption if your sales are less than 1 million dollars from the previous calendar year or you have manufactured less than 7,500 qualifying (children’s products) units. See the CPSC website for details relating to your product.

If you are a new company  and new to this subject matter, you may have this question. Are small batch manufacturers currently required to third party test their children’s products in order to certify compliance to applicable regulations?

 It depends on the children’s product and the materials used to manufacture that children’s product.

Small batch manufacturers must always third party test for the following children’s product safety rules (Group A):

Qualifying small batch manufacturers are NOT required to third party test for compliance with certain other children’s product safety rules. Note, however, that all manufacturers, even those that are small batch manufacturers, must ensure that their children’s products are in compliance with the underlying children’s product safety rules in Group B and issue a general certificate of conformity (GCC)

Qualifying small batch manufacturers registered with the Commission are NOT required to third party test for the following children’s product safety rules (Group B):

With respect to Group B, qualifying small batch manufacturers will need to ensure that the products comply with those regulations and issue a general certificate of conformity (GCC).

As a qualifying small batch manufacturer, you will need to register with the CPSC on an annual basis.  You can visit the CPSC page for more information. Ignorance of the law is no excuse so please register today.