President Reagan has signed the Toy Safety Act of 1984 giving the Consumer Product Safety Commission the power to recall dangerous toys from the marketplace quickly when warranted.
In the past a legal loophole required months of red tape hassles to get dangerous toys off the shelves.
The new law gives the Commission the same ability to recall a children's product or toy as it has when dealing with other products. In effect, CPSC can take immediate action when a hazard is found.
Heretofore unsafe children products were recalled under the Federal Hazard Substances Act which allowed the government to prohibit the sale of dangerous items which included toys. The FHSA called for a lengthy procedure before an item could be declared hazardous and a ban ordered.
When the CPSC was created an 1973 it was given the authority to order recalls immediately when a dangerous product was discovered but in an oversight by Congress toys were never transferred to the authority of the Commission.
This resulted in a situation in which dangerous adult products could be taken from the marketplace immediately, while months would elapse before a hazardous toy could be removed.
The new bill corrects the problem.
Present for the Toy Safety Act signing were Senator Robert Kasten (R) Wisconsin, Congressman Henry Waxman (D) California co-authors of the bill and Nancy Harvey Steorts, Chairman of the CPSC.
About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of injuries associated with consumer products over the past 50 years.
Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.
For lifesaving information:
- Visit CPSC.gov.
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- Report a dangerous product or a product-related injury on www.SaferProducts.gov.
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- Contact a media specialist.
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