The following article is brought to you by the Reiff & Bily Philadelphia product liability lawyers. If you have been injured by an unsafe product you are encouraged to contact an injury lawyer in your area and find out what your rights are.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent federal agency that exists to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the more than 15,000 kinds of consumer products sold under the agency’s jurisdiction.

The CPSC was formed by Congress in 1972 in correlation with the Consumer Product Safety Act to protect the public “against unreasonable risks of injuries associated with consumer products.” It is headed by five commissioners who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The agency has two offices in Maryland and one office in China.

The CPSC exercises their methods of protection by developing voluntary standards with organizations, businesses and manufacturers. The commission must inform and educate consumers and manufacturers worldwide about the safety standards that they develop. They then research and test potential product hazards, and issue and enforce mandatory standards by banning and recalling products that do not comply. The CPSC is also responsible for arranging for repair, replacement and/or refunds of the products that they do recall.

The CPSC encourages consumers to report any safety concern through their website, telephone, fax or mail. The CPSC regards every concern with great importance, and agency staff reviews all complaints. If the reported product is investigated, a CPSC investigator will contact the concerned party and communicate with them whether or not the investigation called for a recall action will be taken.

Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the U.S. more than $900 billion every year, and the CPSC is committed to decreasing that rate. The agency has contributed to a decline in the occurrence of consumer product-related deaths in the past 30 years.

Reiff & Bily

www.reiffandbily.com

1125 Walnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215) 246-9000