CPSC Commissioner Urges Industry To Help Shape Safety Solutions

Commissioner Barbara Hackman Franklin of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said today it is wise for business to find solutions to health and safety concerns before the government is forced to step in.

Commissioner Franklin made her appeal for corporate product safety planning in a speech prepared for the National Plastics Conference of the Society for the Plastics Industries in Chicago.

"The public's concerns about health and safety are increasing. Where those concerns touch your business, your best bet is to find solutions on your own before they reach the crisis stage and before government is forced to step in," Franklin said. Franklin praised the plastics industry for a "recent step forward -- creation of a polystyrene safety group." She cited the group's formation as an example of how industry can help shape solutions before government intervention is required.

However, she said much remains to be done, particularly in respect to fire safety.

"Millions of dollars have been spent, and considerable progress and technological advances have been achieved. Yet, as I see it, neither industry nor government nor consumers has reached the point where there is sufficient cause for rejoicing," she said.

She emphasized that even though the industry had been focusing on the safety aspects of plastics for many years, it should step up efforts to understand and solve the 'fire' problem in the United States, and accelerate research to evaluate the characteristics and behavior of plastics and other materials regarding flammability and toxicity.

Wake sure your company is organized for safety from the top down. Concern about safety should be as much a matter of policy as of technology. The dollars drained into product liability suits and awards are better spent in building greater safety into your materials and products and then using it to your competitive advantage," she said.

She emphasized that even though the industry had been focusing on the safety aspects of plastics for many years, it should step up efforts to understand and solve the 'fire' problem in the United States, and accelerate research to evaluate the characteristics and behavior of plastics and other materials regarding flammability and toxicity.

"make sure your company is organized for safety from the top down. Concern about safety should be as much a matter of policy as of technology. The dollars drained into product liability suits and awards are better spent in building greater safety into your materials and products and then using it to your competitive advantage," she said.