New Government Website Addresses Product Safety

One of the important steps in saving money on products that we buy is to do product comparisons. It is not only important to compare the prices of a specific item, but also on how the product performs. Buying a product based purely on price can ultimately cost more if the product does not perform to our expectations.

The safety record of a product is also important. Are there reports that a particular clothes dryer has caught on fire? Have safety issues of a particular baby crib been reported? In the past we have relied on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall products proven to show safety issues. But what if we want to buy a product that is in the process of being investigated for having safety issues? How would we know? The CPSC has taken steps to help with this situation.

In March 2011, the CPSC started a consumer website, SaferProducts.gov, which reports on product safety incidents. The database of incidents is developed from consumers reporting harm or risks of harm from products they have owned. The site is simple to use for consumers wanting to check safety reports on products and for those wanting to report a safety issue of a product that they own.

How It Works

The database of safety issues for specific products is made up of consumers who own a product that could have safety issues making an actual report at the CPSC website.

Safeguards are in place to keep the reports accurate. When consumers complete a report for a product all the questions on the form must be filled out. Failing to do so could mean that the report may not appear in the database.

After a report is submitted the manufacturer of the product has 10 business days to respond to the comments. After the 10-day period has ended the report and the comments made by the manufacturer is posted for the public to review.

This type of immediate product safety review will benefit consumers wanting to make smart buying decisions.

Does the Website Cover All Products?

There are some consumer products that CPSC does not regulate and that you will not find within the SaferProducts.gov database. For information on safety about products not listed, click the links below:

• Automobiles, Trucks and Motorcycles
  
• Cosmetics and Medical Devices
  
• Car Seats
  
• Drugs
  
• Meat, Eggs, Poultry
  
• Other Food Products

Despite the efforts of the CPSC to keep the reports in the database legitimate, there are some industry groups and members of Congress that would like to limit what is reported and displayed to consumers. Concerns include inaccurate safety claims or possibly entries that are based on a disgruntled customer getting "even" with a manufacturer.

CPSC maintains that the reports are checked for accuracy and the database will help to keep consumers quickly informed about the potential safety issues of thousands of products.