Recently the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) went live with SaferProducts.gov, a database ordered by Congress, as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Consumers are urged to visit www.SaferProducts.gov to report an unsafe product.
Consumers can also search the database for products they are thinking about buying to gather safety information.
Our Palm Beach personal injury lawyers think that this user friendly site will assist CPSC in discovering hazardous products faster and get important safety information to consumers quicker.
“CPSC stayed on time and on budget in building this new database,” said Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “Through SaferProducts.gov consumers will have open access to product safety information that they have never seen before and the information will empower them to make safer choices.”
Information requested in a Report includes:
-Description of the product or substance.
-Manufacturer name or private labeler.
-Describe the illness, injury, death, or risk of injury, illness, or death related to the use of a product or substance within the control of the CPSC.
-When did the incident occur?
-Who is reporting the incident – consumer, public safety entity, government agency, health care professional or child service provider?
-Name, telephone, mailing address, and email address of submitter of the Report.
-Victim’s contact info and name.
-Documents and photos which identifies the product or manufacturer.
-What were the injuries and what medical treatment was received?
-Does the submitter want the Report in the Database?
-Will the submitter provide their contact info and name to the manufacturer or private labeler
identified in the Report?
-Verify the truth and accuracy of the info in the Report.
CPSC will then evaluate the Report, have up to 5 business days to communicate legitimate Reports to the manufacturer, allow the manufacturers up to 10 business days to respond and then post the Report and the manufacturer’s response on SaferProducts.gov.
Consumers must provide factual and accurate information to CPSC. Incomplete or inaccurate Reports can not be published. And confidential information in a Report will be removed prior to it being posted.
“I believe that an informed consumer is an empowered consumer,” added Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “The ability for parents and consumers to search this database for incidents involving a product they already own or are thinking of purchasing will enable them to make independent decisions aimed at keeping their family safe.”
Since the end of January, CPSC started to register businesses online, and to test the system began accepting Reports through SaferProducts.gov. To date, nearly 1,500 reports have been filed online by consumers. Approximately 1,400 manufacturers have registered on the Business Portal. This allows them to promptly get a copy of a Report about their product via e-mail. Reports accepted prior to the “go live” date were processed internally by CPSC and could not be seen by the public.
“We will continue to accept written, phone and fax Reports, as we have for decades,” said Chairman Tenenbaum. “What is new and significant today is that we are launching an up-to-date system for letting consumers review safety reports alongside manufacturer comments about those Reports.”
If you or someone you know has been injured by a defective product in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or the surrounding areas, contact the personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC. Call for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights at 1-800-529-2368.