The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is set to launch its database of hazardous products, SaferProducts.gov, on Friday, March 11. The website will allow consumers to submit complaints about potentially dangerous products, and users will be able to search the site by specific product, company or state.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) required the CPSC to create a public database cataloging complaints and incident reports. As the submissions come directly from consumers, many manufacturers and organizations have raised concerns about the website, fearing it will be too easy for people to file inaccurate reports.
"Manufacturers, importers or private labelers have indicated that they have received reports of harm identifying an incident as involving their product that did not in fact involve their product, so were materially inaccurate, and advised CPSC of this fact," the National Association of Manufacturers said in a letter (PDF) addressed to the CPSC this week.
"They have not received return affirmative confirmation that CPSC staff will not post such false claims in the database. CPSC staffers have indicated they may not possess the resources to adequately scrub the database to avoid posting upon such notification," the letter continued.
Rep. Michael Pompeo (R-Kan.) submitted legislation to the House that would block the commission from spending any money on the database. The House passed the legislation as part of the budget package on February 18, which is now awaiting approval from the Senate. The Senate released a different version of the budget package, which restored the funding, on March 4.
Stay tuned to PromoMarketing.com for more on the future of SaferProducts.gov and how it could affect your business.
Kyle A. Richardson is the editorial director of Promo Marketing. He joined the company in 2006 brings more than a decade of publishing, marketing and media experience to the magazine. If you see him, buy him a drink.