A wide variety of products are manufactured and distributed in countries all over the world. While each company has their own version of quality control agencies such as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are actively involved in seeing that these standards are met.  European countries have also gotten together to lend focus to product safety, and manufacturers of chemicals have devised specialized rules for their own industry in order to protect people from potential harm. Achieving Global Cooperation in Product Safety is a crucial aspect a business must be aware of.

 

In 2013, the United States passes the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that addressed safety concerns such as lead content, overall toy safety, durability in infant and toddler products, third party safety testing and certification, regulations surrounding imports, and tracking labels. Violations of the law can carry both civil and criminal consequences and violators are also revealed to the general public through the website SaferProducts.gov, which is a searchable database accessible by anyone.

Safety is also important for products not necessarily designed for kids.  These products use a General Certificate of Conformity (GCC)  in order assure that products are safe when they hit the market. These standards are enforced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

European Cooperation

European countries have also developed regulations regarding product safety and has a directive in place that indicates how liability is  treated among European producers of raw materials, components parts, or finished products. The responsibility extends to anyone who puts their name or trademark on a product, the supplier, and the importer.  Member states monitor one another through a commission using the RAPEX system The system calls for  Rapid Intervention where Products pose a serious risk to health and safety and applies to a wide range of products including personal music players, lighters, cigarettes, products for infants and children, such as bath seats, tubs, and bathing aids. childproof locking devices, and chemicals used in clothing or the transportation of clothing that may cause serious skin reactions.

 

Safety in Chemicals

The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) has also contributed to product safety through their Global Product Strategy(GPS), which was first developed in 2006 and works with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to prevent chemicals from harming human health or the environment.

More than 150 chemical companies and 40 global associations actively implement and promote the strategies advocated by GPS. Under GPS there are 5 pillars involved in insuring product safety

  • Have a base set of information on potential hazard exposure in order to conduct safety assessments on chemicals in commercial products
  • Work with small and medium sized enterprises as well as those in developing countries in order to assess any risks taken in their managing or manufacturing procedures
  • Provide access to information needed to produce safe products for manufacturers and the general public
  • Encourage continued study on any potential hazards and promote global understanding of these risks.

 

A wide variety of products are manufactured and distributed in countries all over the world. While each company has their own version of quality control agencies such as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are actively involved in seeing that these standards are met. European countries have also gotten together to lend focus to product safety, and manufacturers of chemicals have devised specialized rules for their own industry in order to protect people from potential harm.