Welcome to the Office of Education, Global Outreach, and Small Business Ombudsman (EXGO). The office was established to coordinate and carry out education and outreach activities to domestic and international stakeholders, including foreign governments, academic institutions, manufacturers, retailers, and resellers. EXGO is a coordinated business unit composed of four main areas: education, international programs, small business, and intergovernmental relations.

Education: Education permeates all aspects of our outreach. We dedicate resources toward the support and education of the business community, foreign, other federal, state and local governments, and others because we believe that improving knowledge of the details of our product safety laws has a direct correlation to increased compliance and increased safety for consumers.

International Programs: International or global outreach is one of the pillars of our success. With almost half of the consumer products under our jurisdiction manufactured abroad, it is critical that the CPSC actively engage with foreign regulators and manufacturers. Development of close relationships facilitates the exchange of information on consumer product safety issues and serves as a mechanism for coordinated actions against unsafe products. Increased educational outreach to foreign manufacturers will improve the safety of imported products.

Small Business: The Small Business Ombudsman is a dedicated resource to provide information and guidance tailored for small businesses of all sizes. The SBO provides information and guidance tailored to that community. Small businesses that have issues or technical questions concerning CPSC's statutes, regulations, regulatory processes, or other issues should seek guidance from the ombudsman. Our goal is to provide answers that are easy to understand. We also hope to identify broader issues of concern to small business and particularly small manufacturers and seek solutions by working with the appropriate Commission staff.

Intergovernmental Relations: CPSC's intergovernmental affairs program is organized to facilitate the creation of safer products through better informed sister agencies (federal, state and local governments), industries, retailers and resellers, and consulting with other external stakeholders to ensure their needs are being satisfied by the agency. The program director actively builds partnerships with other agencies, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations to develop programs that support CPSC's mission.

Resource Links

Webcasts

• Tracking Labels, Children’s Product Certification, Third Party Testing, and Component Part Testing (Tuesday, January 24, 2012) and associated slides [pdf]
• Small Batch Manufacturers: Registration with the CPSC and Limited Relief from Third Party Testing (Tuesday, January 24, 2012) and associated slides [pdf]
• Manufacturers of Cloth Diapers: Applicable CPSC Children’s Product Safety Rules (Tuesday, January 24, 2012) and associated slides [pdf]
• Small Batch Manufacturers of Children's Toys: The Who, What, When, Where, and How of Registering with the CPSC (Thursday, December 1, 2011)
• Manufacturers of Children's Toys: What do I need to know and do by December 31, 2011? (Tuesday, November 29, 2011)