Procurement Professionals can aid in product safety adherence.

January 22nd, 2010

We can do much about monitoring the raw materials that go into our manufactured goods but what are we doing about making sure they are safe to use for the proposes they were intended?

An article in today?s Arizona Republic attributed to the associate press was titled 1.5 million strollers recalled. The reason for the recall was canopy hinges causing fingertip amputations.? The article went on to mention that this was the 2nd major recall of strollers in recent months. In November of 2009 about one million strollers were recalled for fingertip amputation by the hinge mechanism from another manufacturer.

This author is aware that we can control the substances that go into these products from raw materials perspective but how do we in fact make sure they are safe for the children riding in them or the people pushing them.

The first thing we can do is ensure that the products are tested by Consumer Product Safety Commission or other groups with authority for that product. Last year the CPSC? announced that they would be expanding and modernizing the agency?s testing facilities with a new facility, located off the ?I-270 Technology Corridor? in Rockville, Md. One of the roles of the new facility is to provide additional space for CPSC?s Laboratory and Engineering Sciences Teams to test and evaluate consumer products.

You may be able to locate information about the products you procure at the Consumer Product Safety Commission?s website area for regulations and laws, but it will take some digging if you have never been there before. The product may have a FEDERAL HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES ACT to support it as do a number of baby and children products.

What appears to be common sense to this author is in addition to holding companies accountable to regulations is also to simply ask what type of testing a product has gone through and where it was manufactured? Most companies have great intentions for the products they manufacture and sell. We may be able to keep our children safer by simply asking some logical questions.

We look forward to and appreciate your comments.

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