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CPSC Seeks Public Views On TV Hazards, Plans To Set Safety Standards

Release Date: October 06, 2011

The invitation follows the Commission's announcement that it will set mandatory safety standards for television sets.



In a notice to be published soon in the Federal Register, the Commission expressed the desire for the views of the public on television safety. The Commission also has asked the television manufacturing industry to provide detailed technical information at the hearings, including a recap of industry safety efforts since the National Commission on Product Safety held TV hearings in 1969.



The Commission has received numerous reports of shock and fire accidents, some of which have resulted in severe injuries and deaths. They appear to have been associated with television receivers.



The Commission also has received nine notices of defects from TV manufacturers involving potential shock and fire hazards in more than 140,000 television sets now in use.



"The volume of the reports and the seriousness of the injuries reported indicate that consumers may have been (and perhaps are being) subjected to unreasonable risks of injuries associated with TV receivers," the Commission states in its Federal Register notice.



Interested persons are invited to present testimony or to submit written comments on the following subjects:

 

- personal use experience with TV hazards

- potential hazards of TV receivers in connection with design, construction, and materials technology

- TV tube explosions

- hazards associated with TV ancillary equipment

- TV receiver-related accident data

- current, future, and suggested safety standards related to TV receivers

- quality control and quality assurance plans

- qualification requirements of TV service technicians

- improvement plans for TV receivers now in use

- specific manufacturing trends and design techniques

- any other information pertaining to TV receiver safety



Radiation hazards associated with televisions will not be covered in the hearing. Such hazards are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

 

Release Number
74-018

About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury 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. Since the CPSC was established more than 50 years ago, it has worked to ensure the safety of consumer products, which has contributed to a decline in injuries associated with these products. 

Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.

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