Consumer Products
Consumer products are found everywhere. They are typically goods intended for home or personal use by individuals. In the United States, consumer products are defined by the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC regulates all domestic consumer products, unless another agency specifically regulates a particular thing (e.g., food, motor vehicles, tobacco, etc.). The CPSC monitors the marketplace and routinely interacts with manufacturers to control risk in products sold in the US. The CPSC has the power to investigate and recall products, while the CPSA obligates manufacturers to report product related injuries to the CPSC in a timely fashion and investigate safety issues within tight deadlines.
Our engineers and scientific staff actively participate in the creation and maintenance of consumer product standards. We have experience assisting clients with reactive work in: injury investigations, statistical injury research, product investigations, and product recalls – including assisting with corrective action plan development and investigation. Our experience with reactive product work also makes us well suited to provide proactive assistance during the product development phase where we can leverage our experience to provide targeted pre-launch analysis.
Representative project experience includes:
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Furniture tip over and stability
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Exercise & fitness equipment strength and stability
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Pressure cooker injury analysis
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Children's products
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Carts, strollers, baby slings
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Magnets
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Holiday lighting
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Patio Umbrellas
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Cookware & small kitchen appliances
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Garden hoses and hose accessories
Our staff also have experience with assistive devices (e.g., canes, crutches, etc.) although those are subject to FDA regulation, not CPSC regulation.
