Latest news with #CPSC
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Don't make me the last chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
In what may be the first for an independent federal agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission submitted a budget request to Congress last month proposing its own elimination. The Trump administration seeks to absorb elements of the commission into the Department of Health and Human Services in order to eliminate the agency's independence and reduce the transparency of its operations. The budget request also seeks to decrease the number of employees by 75 (to a total of 459) and reduce its budget by $16 million. If this budget request becomes law, I would likely be the last confirmed chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It would mark the end of the commission as an independent agency dedicated to protecting the public from unsafe consumer products, and it would reverse 53 years of progress in product safety. This budget request would never have existed if Trump had not unlawfully removed three sitting commissioners, including myself, last month. U.S. District Court Judge Maddox found the president's actions unlawful on June 13, enabling us to resume our jobs as commissioners. However, the Trump administration has appealed this ruling and continues to seek our removal. President Richard Nixon signed the Consumer Product Safety Act into law in 1972, establishing CPSC as a bipartisan, independent agency led by five commissioners who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Prior to that, the Department of Commerce and the Food and Drug Administration had responsibility for product safety, but their efforts lacked focus — as a result, Americans suffered. In the lead up to the creation of the CPSC, President Lyndon Johnson recognized that 'the homes that we live in can be more dangerous than a booby-trapped mine field' and that change was needed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission was created to clear this mine field. In establishing the agency, Congress recognized that its independence was important to ensure that it remained unfettered by political dictates and self-interested pressure from industry. Congress mandated that no more than three commissioners can belong to the same political party; that they are to be appointed to staggered terms, to ensure only a portion of their terms expire at any given time; and that they can only be removed for cause. These legal provisions were designed to prevent swift, drastic changes in the agency's composition and, ultimately, its regulations and policies. The commission's current structure promotes stability and continuity, which benefits consumers as well as manufacturers and sellers. In the months leading up to our removal, my colleagues and I opposed staff reductions to meet arbitrary White House demands. We advanced proposed mandatory product safety standards to save lives — including from horrific fires ignited by faulty lithium-ion batteries. We rejected efforts to dismantle and embed CPSC into the Department of Health and Human Services. Within weeks of our unlawful terminations, the remaining commissioners withdrew the proposed lithium-ion battery safety rule and embraced the administration's efforts to abolish the agency's independence and downsize our staff. The consequences of our absence were plain as the administration moved forward to eliminate the agency and weaken its functions. The changes proposed by the Trump administration are wholly unnecessary. For over 50 years, the commission has validated the vision of Nixon and Congress for improving product safety. For example, crib fatalities have decreased by nearly 80 percent; pediatric poisonings have decreased by 80 percent; deaths from residential fires have decreased by more than 64 percent. There have been dramatic injury reductions as well. Bicycle injuries have declined by about 35 percent. Baby walker injuries, which resulted in 25,000 emergency room visits in 1992, had dropped by 88 percent by 2020. Because of the commission's safety rules, children no longer suffocate in refrigerators, get crushed by closing garage doors or get entrapped underwater in swimming pool drain covers. Safety standards ban lead in toys and ensure that products manufactured for infants and toddlers meet basic safety standards. The elimination of this agency and the incorporation of its parts into this administration's troubled HHS would put the agency's successes and future product safety progress at risk. As was recognized more than 50 years ago, product safety gets lost within a large department with competing priorities. It would be too easy to put recalls or new product safety standards on the back burner when HHS is faced with a revamp of the Medicare system and with millions losing access to health care. In addition, as resources become harder to find, product safety staff and money may be shifted to politically favored projects within HHS at the whim of the secretary. Without an independent Consumer Product Safety Commission, there will be far less accountability and transparency. When an agency is independent and commissioners come from multiple perspectives, undue political influence is moderated. The commissioners can work together to build consensus but also act as a check on each other. This ensures that the agency's actions are transparent to the public and the agency is not taking political direction to favor one company over another. That is why, once the full commission was reinstated, it submitted a new budget request that affirms the independence of the agency and seeks full funding of its operations. This, however, does not change the administration's proposal or the HHS budget request to eliminate it and absorb parts of it into HHS. The president's request threatens product safety. But, fortunately, eliminating the Consumer Product Safety Commission as it has existed for more than 50 years would require an act of Congress. There are Republican and Democratic members of Congress who recognize the importance of CPSC's work and its independence. I hope they can convince their colleagues to reject the president's proposal. I don't want to be the last confirmed chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And none of us want to go back to the days when the homes that we live in were 'more dangerous than a booby-trapped mine field.' Alexander Hoehn-Saric served as chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from October 2021 through January 2025 and is now serving as a commissioner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Don't make me the last chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
In what may be the first for an independent federal agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission submitted a budget request to Congress last month proposing its own elimination. The Trump administration seeks to absorb elements of the commission into the Department of Health and Human Services in order to eliminate the agency's independence and reduce the transparency of its operations. The budget request also seeks to decrease the number of employees by 75 (to a total of 459) and reduce its budget by $16 million. If this budget request becomes law, I would likely be the last confirmed chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. It would mark the end of the commission as an independent agency dedicated to protecting the public from unsafe consumer products, and it would reverse 53 years of progress in product safety. This budget request would never have existed if Trump had not unlawfully removed three sitting commissioners, including myself, last month. U.S. District Court Judge Maddox found the president's actions unlawful on June 13, enabling us to resume our jobs as commissioners. However, the Trump administration has appealed this ruling and continues to seek our removal. President Richard Nixon signed the Consumer Product Safety Act into law in 1972, establishing CPSC as a bipartisan, independent agency led by five commissioners who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Prior to that, the Department of Commerce and the Food and Drug Administration had responsibility for product safety, but their efforts lacked focus — as a result, Americans suffered. In the lead up to the creation of the CPSC, President Lyndon Johnson recognized that 'the homes that we live in can be more dangerous than a booby-trapped mine field' and that change was needed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission was created to clear this mine field. In establishing the agency, Congress recognized that its independence was important to ensure that it remained unfettered by political dictates and self-interested pressure from industry. Congress mandated that no more than three commissioners can belong to the same political party; that they are to be appointed to staggered terms, to ensure only a portion of their terms expire at any given time; and that they can only be removed for cause. These legal provisions were designed to prevent swift, drastic changes in the agency's composition and, ultimately, its regulations and policies. The commission's current structure promotes stability and continuity, which benefits consumers as well as manufacturers and sellers. In the months leading up to our removal, my colleagues and I opposed staff reductions to meet arbitrary White House demands. We advanced proposed mandatory product safety standards to save lives — including from horrific fires ignited by faulty lithium-ion batteries. We rejected efforts to dismantle and embed CPSC into the Department of Health and Human Services. Within weeks of our unlawful terminations, the remaining commissioners withdrew the proposed lithium-ion battery safety rule and embraced the administration's efforts to abolish the agency's independence and downsize our staff. The consequences of our absence were plain as the administration moved forward to eliminate the agency and weaken its functions. The changes proposed by the Trump administration are wholly unnecessary. For over 50 years, the commission has validated the vision of Nixon and Congress for improving product safety. For example, crib fatalities have decreased by nearly 80 percent; pediatric poisonings have decreased by 80 percent; deaths from residential fires have decreased by more than 64 percent. There have been dramatic injury reductions as well. Bicycle injuries have declined by about 35 percent. Baby walker injuries, which resulted in 25,000 emergency room visits in 1992, had dropped by 88 percent by 2020. Because of the commission's safety rules, children no longer suffocate in refrigerators, get crushed by closing garage doors or get entrapped underwater in swimming pool drain covers. Safety standards ban lead in toys and ensure that products manufactured for infants and toddlers meet basic safety standards. The elimination of this agency and the incorporation of its parts into this administration's troubled HHS would put the agency's successes and future product safety progress at risk. As was recognized more than 50 years ago, product safety gets lost within a large department with competing priorities. It would be too easy to put recalls or new product safety standards on the back burner when HHS is faced with a revamp of the Medicare system and with millions losing access to health care. In addition, as resources become harder to find, product safety staff and money may be shifted to politically favored projects within HHS at the whim of the secretary. Without an independent Consumer Product Safety Commission, there will be far less accountability and transparency. When an agency is independent and commissioners come from multiple perspectives, undue political influence is moderated. The commissioners can work together to build consensus but also act as a check on each other. This ensures that the agency's actions are transparent to the public and the agency is not taking political direction to favor one company over another. That is why, once the full commission was reinstated, it submitted a new budget request that affirms the independence of the agency and seeks full funding of its operations. This, however, does not change the administration's proposal or the HHS budget request to eliminate it and absorb parts of it into HHS. The president's request threatens product safety. But, fortunately, eliminating the Consumer Product Safety Commission as it has existed for more than 50 years would require an act of Congress. There are Republican and Democratic members of Congress who recognize the importance of CPSC's work and its independence. I hope they can convince their colleagues to reject the president's proposal. I don't want to be the last confirmed chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And none of us want to go back to the days when the homes that we live in were 'more dangerous than a booby-trapped mine field.' Alexander Hoehn-Saric served as chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from October 2021 through January 2025 and is now serving as a commissioner.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Asbury Park beach lifeguard impaled by a six-foot-long umbrella in ‘freak' wind accident
A female lifeguard was impaled by a beach umbrella at the Jersey Shore this week, which became a dangerous projectile due to wind gusts. (Image for representation) A female lifeguard was hospitalized after being impaled by a beach umbrella at Asbury Park. (Unsplash) The young woman was struck by a roughly six-foot-long umbrella that pierced through her body, entering beneath her left shoulder and exiting through her back around 9:30 AM on Wednesday at Asbury Park's 3rd Avenue Beach. 'The umbrella went underneath her left shoulder and out the back,' said Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy in a statement to The New York Post. 'It was protruding by about a foot,' he added. ALSO READ| Morning Midas cargo ship: EVs behind fire sinking of 3000 vehicles off Alaska - Here's latest Probe how beach umbrella became almost fatal Emergency responders, including fellow lifeguards and EMS personnel, rushed to the scene after a call came in. 'We had to saw off the stake from the front and the back to make it more manageable. We bandaged her up and transported her to the hospital,' Keddy said. The victim, conscious throughout the ordeal, was taken to the Jersey Shore University Medical Centre in Neptune. 'When we dropped her off, she was conscious and alert and in good spirits — all things considered,' Keddy added. There is still no accurate way of knowing how the accident happened. One reason that has been put forward is that the woman might have been attempting to get or pick up an umbrella that had been snagged by a strong wind blast when she fell on the stake. ALSO READ| James Webb Space Telescope spots its 1st alien planet: 'TWA 7b' Umbrellas turning into airborne hazards are not new U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported that about 3, 000 individuals suffer injuries every year, due to beach umbrellas. Notably, a 63-year-old woman named Tammy Perreault was impaled by a beach umbrella in 2022 in South Carolina. In the same way, 55-year-old Lottie Michelle Belk also died in Virginia Beach in 2016 when a windblown umbrella hit her. ALSO READ| Judge warns Meta for being a 'serious copyright infringer' after dismissing AI training lawsuit CPSC's 2024 report also warns that flying beach umbrellas have become 'too common' in the States and urges beachgoers to take precautions.
CNET
2 days ago
- General
- CNET
100,000 Mattresses Sold on Amazon Are Being Recalled Due to Fire Risk. Here's What You Should Know
You'll want to check the tags if you purchased a mattress from Amazon within the past couple of years. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC), around 100,000 Crayan mattresses are being recalled due to flammability risks as of June 18, 2025. Here's how to check if you have one of these mattresses and how to receive a refund. What products are being recalled? The recall involves Crayan Mattresses' 10-inch and 12-inch beds (twin, full, queen and king sizes), sold on Amazon from June 2022 through June 2024. These beds are single-sided with a white-knit quilted top and gray side panels. The brand name 'Crayan' is stitched into the front foot panel in white letters. Crayan Mattresses' retailer, Foshanshi Liyue Jiaju Youxian Gongsi, dba Crayan Inc., is based in China. Its mattresses are manufactured in Japan and delivered compressed in a box. The price range for these mattresses is between $100 and $220. Here are examples of the tag labels on the recalled Crayan Mattresses. US Consumer Product Safety Commission Why are they being recalled? All mattresses and mattress pads sold in the US must meet the open flame flammability requirements established by the CPSC, known as 16 CFR 1633. Crayan Mattresses violate federal safety standards by failing to meet these requirements, posing a potential risk of serious injury or death from fire hazards. However, no incidents or injuries have been reported. What should you do? The first step is to immediately stop sleeping on your recalled mattresses and contact Crayan Mattresses for a refund. According to the CPSC, you will need to 'mark the mattresses permanently with the word 'Recalled' in large font across the white top panel.' Submit your photo of the mattress to the company's email at crayan_service@ to confirm your purchase, after which you should receive a full refund. If you have questions about the recall, you can call Crayan at 779-605-4458 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. PT Monday through Friday. If you're having trouble contacting the company or receiving your refund, you can fill out the Recall Complaint Form on the CPSC's website. If you're looking for a replacement mattress in the meantime, check out our roundup of the best mattresses of 2025. If you're on a budget, here are our favorite cheap mattresses.
Global News
2 days ago
- General
- Global News
Lifeguard impaled by umbrella on New Jersey beach
A lifeguard is recovering in hospital after a freak accident, in which she was impaled by a beach umbrella at a New Jersey beach on Wednesday morning, officials said. The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. as the woman was setting up her umbrella for the day. According to authorities, strong winds picked up the umbrella and the stake went through the front of her left shoulder and pierced through the back of her arm. Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy told ABC News that the six-foot-long stake was sticking out of the back of her arm by about one foot. 'She's a tough young woman,' the chief said. Her fellow lifeguards were treating her, when the fire department showed up and took over. Because of the umbrella's length, the responders used a portable band saw to cut the umbrella stake in the front and the back, first, to make her transport by ambulance to the hospital more manageable. Story continues below advertisement 'When we dropped her off, she was conscious and alert and in good spirits — all things considered,' Keddy told the New York Post. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Asbury Park Professional Firefighters Union, whose members helped stabilize the woman for transport, called it a 'low frequency' incident, meaning it's a type of call they don't see very often. 0:54 Teen injured by a flying beach umbrella at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester And while it is rare to be impaled by an umbrella, it does happen. In August of 2022, a woman in South Carolina died after a loose beach umbrella became airborne and impaled her in the chest. The woman was fatally wounded in the accident when a gust of wind pulled the beach umbrella from its anchoring. Story continues below advertisement The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says that 'airborne beach umbrellas can be dangerous, even deadly.' The organization recommends umbrellas to be properly secured to avoid injury. Most beach umbrellas are equipped with a spiked end and anchors designed to push through sand to at least two feet deep (60 cm). The CPSC also recommends beach umbrellas be angled against the direction of any winds, so as not to lift the wide canopy from the ground. The CPSC claimed 31,000 people were treated in hospitals for umbrella-related injuries in the U.S. alone between 2008 and 2017. The injuries ranged in severity, though most victims were women over the age of 40.
