CPSC’s health and safety mission requires that we tell the public when we have actionable information about unsafe products. Lives and livelihoods are at stake. CPSC makes every effort within our authority to publicize hazards widely in order to prevent needless tragedies, but the law—in the form of Section 6(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act—places restrictions on how the agency shares that information. Although most consumers are unaware of 6(b), those restrictions affect the flow of safety information to the public.

As the Commission takes a fresh look at rules governing the way we provide safety information to consumers and educate the public about known hazards, I plan to stay focused on making sure that consumers’ rights to make informed choices are given their due. To that end, I also call on industry—those who make and sell consumer products—to take a fresh look at their responsibility to share information to prevent potential harms caused by their products. Consumers deserve timely information and education about potential hazards, and as the experts in their products, companies should make good on the commitment to safety. Even if companies can use Section 6 as a means to limit or delay disclosure, I am challenging them to consider a different question: should they instead be forthcoming with information to help consumers avoid harm? For me, the answer of course is yes.

The information ecosystem in which consumers, manufacturers, and the CPSC operate in 2023 is significantly different than the one in 2008, when this rule was last updated. Now more than ever, the public expects transparency–from government and also from the businesses they patronize and the companies where they work. What counts is our common commitment to safety, and surely that should take precedence over parsing the requirements of section 6(b).

I look forward to reviewing comments from stakeholders and to advancing the goal of sharing information widely to promote safety.