Senior agency official for Plain Writing: Eileen J. Williams, Attorney and Legal Editor
Specific types of agency communications that CPSC has released and made available in a format that is consistent with the Plain Writing guidelines:
Consumer-facing content:
The CPSC has adopted plain language as a core principle for all consumer-facing content. Thus, we apply Plain Language principles to our consumer print and online materials, including brochures, Web content, public service announcements, press releases, blog posts, and other social media.
We follow Plain Language guidelines when creating written materials that:
- Help consumers report an unsafe product
- Notify the public about a recall
- Provide safety information to consumers
- Inform the public about the CPSC’s activities
- Advise small businesses about which consumer product safety rules may apply to their product
- Offer businesses guidance and education about testing and certification
- Inform businesses on how to comply with federal government safety regulations
- Education businesses about how to report a potentially unsafe product
- Supply regulatory updates via email
Examples include:
- What to Know About Generators and Carbon Monoxide (CO), a safety guide
- Children’s Sleepwear, a safety alert
- Drawstrings Can Catch and Kill Children—Warning!, a safety alert
- On Safety, blog
- Toy Recall Statistics
- Tool Kits on child safety, drowning prevention, fire safety, ATV safety and carbon monoxide
Technical and specialized documents
Materials that CPSC staff may submit to scholarly journals or that are technical or specialized in their subject matter also are written with Plain Language principles in mind. Documents for regulated entities, for example, which provide information detailing obligations or setting forth guidelines on how to comply, may be complex. Nevertheless, CPSC staff strives to draft these documents so that the general consumer audience, as well as the targeted specialized audience can comprehend the content.
Regulations
CPSC endeavors to use Plain Language principles in proposed or final consumer protection regulations published by CPSC.
Examples of regulations drafted by CPSC in 2016 included:
- High chairs
- Bouncer seats
- Children’s folding chairs and stools
- Frame child carriers
- Corded window coverings
Inform agency staff of Plain Writing Act’s requirements
CPSC’s Senior Agency Official for Plain Language attends employee orientation sessions, advising new hires of the plain language requirements. Each employee receives an Editor’s Tip Sheet with information on Plain English Principles, commonly misused terms, how to punctuate properly, how to hyphenate accurately, capitalization rules, common grammar pitfalls, and more. Our Plain Language manager is available to CPSC employees to review their writing and offer guidance on how to make use of plain writing principles to enhance their writing.
Training
Online Training
CPSC’s Talent Management System (TMS) offered more than a dozen free, online writing courses in 2016, which are available at any time for all CPSC employees. These courses cover an array of topics, including:
- The Plain Writing Act
- Business Writing: How to Write Clearly and Concisely
- Business Writing: Know Your Readers and Purpose
- Business Writing: Editing and Proofreading
- Business Grammar: The Mechanics of Writing
- Business Grammar: Sentence Construction
- Business Grammar: Parts of Speech
- Business Grammar: Punctuation
- Business Grammar: Working with Words
- Business Grammar: Common Usage Errors
- Final Exam: Business Writing Basics
- Writing for Technical Professionals: Preparing and Planning
- Writing for Technical Professionals: Effective Writing Techniques
- Writing Under Pressure: The Writing Process
Live (in-person classes)
In 2016, CPSC offered three on site live training classes, comprising 13 hours of classroom instruction. The classes offered were:
- Editing for Clarity and Accuracy (half-day course)
- Managing the Writing of Others (half-day course)
Agency contact for compliance issues:
Eileen J. Williams, Attorney/Legal Editor
Documenting and reporting use of plain writing in agency communications:
Reporting:
CPSC’s Plain Writing Official will periodically report on the agency’s use of plain writing.
Customer satisfaction evaluation after experiencing Plain Writing communications:
Customer Satisfaction:
We have not received any feedback on our Plain Writing communications through the portal provided on our Plain Language Web page.