According to a Federal Register notice published June 20, the Commission recognizes the important role that voluntary standards groups can perform in reducing risks of injury and generally encourages the involvement of staff members so long as their participation is in the public interest and does not present real or apparent conflicts of interest.
The regulation excludes from participation certain Commission employees who are involved in policy making, decision making, and decision recommending functions in regard to whether voluntary standards should be proposed as mandatory standards. These include: Commissioners and their special assistants; General Counsel and legal staff; Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director and special assistants in the Office of the Executive Director; Director of the Bureau of Engineering Sciences; Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis; Director of the Bureau of Biomedical Science; the Medical Director; the Director of the Office of Standards Coordination and Appraisal, special assistants in that Office as well as the Director of the Impact Analysis Division, Technical Analysis Division and the standards coordinators of the Technical Analysis Division.
CPSC employees who are able to participate may not vote or formally approve voluntary standards, but they may attend meetings and express opinions on the adequacy of safety requirements to reduce injuries. Travel and expenses may be paid by the Commission if it is in the Commission's interest for them to attend.
Attendance at sessions must be approved by the CPSC Executive Director. Meetings must appear on the weekly Public Calendar, and sessions attended by CPSC staff generally must be open to the public.
The final regulation, which was originally proposed for public comment on July 19, 1974, prohibits CPSC employees from assuming policy or primary leadership roles such as chairman or secretary of the organizations. They may accept other positions only if it appears to be in the public interest and with the approval of the Executive Director and concurrence of the General Counsel.
For a copy of the regulation, contact the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1750 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20207.
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.
- Call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054).
- Contact a media specialist.
Please use the below phone number for all media requests.
Phone: (301) 504-7908
Spanish: (301) 504-7800