Here is a catalog of "good practices" and examples from various companies. We hope these ideas will inspire companies to develop their own good practices to make products safer for consumers.
1. BUILD SAFETY INTO PRODUCT DESIGN
Martin Door Manufacturing, Inc. and Wayne Dalton Corporation. Both small and large companies can be sources of safety innovations. For example, in the residential garage door industry, Martin Door Manufacturing Company, a small company in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Wayne-Dalton Corp., a larger manufacturer in Mt. Hope, Ohio, both developed new and innovative designs to improve the safety of their products. Each year large numbers of finger entrapment injuries were occurring, resulting in crushed or amputated fingers. The companies’ improved designs addressed the hazard of finger entrapment between door panels by "pinch-proofing" the hinged joints between the panels. Both companies took action before a voluntary standard addressing this hazard was developed by industry. Their leadership challenged other manufacturers to meet the same high standards.
2. DO PRODUCT SAFETY TESTING FOR ALL FORSEEABLE HAZARDS
McDonald’s Corporation. People often do not focus on the extent to which restaurants have entered the toy business. Toys for young children, such as those given away in many fast food restaurants, can be tested for hazards like suffocation and choking. McDonald's is a leader in this regard. Working with a contractor, the company created its own state-of-the-art technology consisting of a lifelike child mannequin and "virtual child" computer system to simulate the physiology of a child. With this advanced technology, McDonald's is able to screen toys used in its promotions to detect and avoid safety hazards before the toys are given out.
3. KEEP INFORMED ABOUT AND IMPLEMENT LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN PRODUCT SAFETY
Bass Hotels & Resorts. When a National SAFE KIDS Campaign sampling of hotels indicated that some hotels were not always providing safe cribs to their guests, CPSC sought to prevent deaths and injuries from occurring by cooperating with hotels and motels on this issue. One hotel chain -- Bass Hotels & Resorts, parent of Holiday Inn, Inter-Continental, and Crowne Plaza -- took the lead. Bass undertook a comprehensive chain-wide program to be sure its cribs were safe, to train its personnel, and to provide its customers with important and attractive information on crib safety. Since Bass led the way, many other hotel and motel chains have taken steps to be sure they provide safe cribs.
Johnson & Johnson. Safety packaging design was under way by the Company in the 1970s, followed by modifications and improvements in the early 1980s. A renewed focus on child safety packaging began in 1993, particularly for over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers used by older adults, including grandparents, experiencing arthritis symptoms and needing the convenience of easily accessible packaging (easy to open), while maintaining packaging safety for young children. NOTE: U.S. Poison Prevention Act of 1970 mandated child resistant packaging for key products, including household cleaning products and medications.
4. EDUCATE CONSUMERS ABOUT PRODUCT SAFETY
Gerber Products Company. Gerber Products’ business revolves around babies. Gerber came to CPSC several years ago to offer to work in partnership with CPSC on a project that aimed at increasing safety for babies. Out of that offer developed CPSC’s very successful Baby Safety Shower program, a grass-roots initiative that provides vital safety information to new parents in the festive atmosphere of a baby shower. Gerber has supported this program for five years and most recently worked with CPSC to expand the initiative in the African American community, which has been found to have a higher SIDS rate than the population as a whole.
Johnson & Johnson. As founding sponsor of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, established in 1987, Johnson & Johnson has been dedicated to reduction and prevention of unintentional injuries - which kill and disable more children under the age of 14, than all diseases combined. SAFE KIDS is the largest and most comprehensive non-profit program of its kind. Key SAFE KIDS risk areas include auto, bicycle and pedestrian crashes; fires; scalds and burns; falls from windows or on stairs; poisoning from unsecured household cleaning products and medicines; and drowning. Each year, SAFE KIDS educational and communications programs, underwritten by Johnson & Johnson and delivered by more than 280 volunteer local coalitions across the country, are designed to reach parents, grandparents, caregivers and children. SAFE KIDS initiatives also are now underway in several other countries.
Toys "R" Us. Toys "R" Us is a retailer of toys and juvenile products for young children and has an extensive program that helps educate the public about child safety. For three years, the company has worked with CPSC to publicize the agency’s safety alerts by publishing them in an attractive booklet, which it distributes in all of its stores. Toys R Us also prominently displays posters in its stores describing toys and juvenile products that have been recalled. In September 2000, the company’s Babies R Us division is joining with CPSC and Procter & Gamble’s Pampers Parenting Institute to educate parents about safe nurseries. Earlier this year, Toys R Us added a useful safety innovation to its web site, when it began adding age labeling guidance and safety warnings for products advertised on the site.
5. TRACK AND ADDRESS YOUR PRODUCTS’ SAFETY PERFORMANCE
Binney & Smith. Concerns were raised earlier this year about asbestos in crayons. CPSC immediately investigated the issue and conducted scientific tests. The tests found a "scientifically insignificant" trace amount of asbestos and some "transitional" fibers in the tested crayons. CPSC concluded that the likelihood that a child would ingest or inhale the fibers was extremely low. Binney & Smith, the makers of Crayola Crayons, closely followed these developments and consulted with CPSC during the testing process. When it received the test results, the company quickly agreed to CPSC’s request that it reformulate the crayons to remove the fibers. Binney & Smith, committed to maintaining its reputation as a company the public can rely on, stayed informed and took swift action.
IKEA. Ikea is an international importer and retailer of household furniture and products for families and children. Ikea has described to us the considerable attention it pays to designing safety into these products. In addition, the company described how it conducts investigations of any reported incidents involving products sold at its stores around the world; it then follows up and gathers appropriate information to determine whether remedial action is needed. Ikea not only reports quickly to CPSC about products needing remedial action in the U.S., it also shares with the agency information on complaints and problems that have surfaced in other countries. For example, when IKEA learned of a death in Europe with one of its stacking toys, it immediately notified CPSC and initiated a recall of the product in the United States.
Deere & Company. John Deere's corporate Product Safety Department maintains a toll-free number for the thousands of John Deere dealers around the country to call when they become aware of an accident involving a John Deere product. Once a year, Deere sends them a letter and telephone stickers to remind them of the toll-free number and of the importance Deere places on timely and accurate accident reporting to the company. Dealers are instructed to report all accidents, regardless of the cause, age of the product, seriousness of injury, or their knowledge of the details. Deere's Product Safety Department distributes this information from dealers to the chairman of the product safety committee at the factory that designed and manufactured the product, as well as to others in the company. They use that information to help identify safety problems that require a recall. They also use it to determine if changes in design, warnings, or instructions should be made in current production. Finally, Deere's design engineers consider the accident history of past products when they develop new products.
6. FULLY INVESTIGATE PRODUCT SAFETY INCIDENTS
Whirlpool Corporation. At Whirlpool, the same people are responsible for both product safety and quality assurance, and they report to the top levels of the corporation. According to the company, it designs its systems so that all of its business activity - from training to design evaluation to early and frequent product testing - is intended to reflect the safety and quality that consumers expect in their home appliances. Whenever the company receives a report of a product safety incident or concern with one of its appliances, it follows up with the consumer user and conducts a full investigation. As a result, the corporation is kept fully abreast of potential safety issues involving its product lines. This assures quick response and is key to maintaining customer satisfaction with products.
7. REPORT PRODUCT SAFETY DEFECTS PROMPTLY
Deere & Company. Deere & Company has internal processes in place that allow it to move quickly to identify product problems and develop appropriate recall plans. Because of that, Deere is one of the companies that have been able to take advantage of CPSC’s Fast-track product recall procedure. Fast-track is a process CPSC developed to expedite recalls. It helps consumers by removing hazards quickly, and it helps the company because CPSC does not make a preliminary determination that the product is hazardous. For example, in one case, Deere found during routine quality control testing that bolts used to secure the blade on some of their riding mowers could break and allow a blade to come off and pose a potential injury hazard to bystanders. Company testing determined that microscopic cracks formed in the manufacturing process were the cause of the problem. Deere promptly reported to CPSC and proposed to fix the problem by changing the bolts it used. It was able to implement the recall in 12 working days, well within the 20 working days required under the Fast-track program.
Nordstrom, Inc. Nordstrom advertises that it is committed to providing excellent customer service - and that includes acting quickly on safety concerns. After a consumer called Nordstrom to inquire about returning a sweatshirt because her child reportedly choked on the zipper pull (fortunately suffering no lasting injury), Nordstrom swung into action. That same day, the company notified all store managers by e-mail to pull the sweatshirts from the floor. Nordstrom quickly filed a report with CPSC via the Internet. It also promptly announced to consumers via a press release, video news release, newspaper advertisements, and in-store posters both the hazard and its offer to exchange the sweatshirt or provide a full refund.
8. IF A DEFECT OCCURS, PROMPTLY OFFER A COMPREHENSIVE RECALL PLAN
The Toro Company. When The Toro Company learns of a potential product defect, it inform CPSC, discussed the situation with the agency, and immediately takes steps to develop and implement a comprehensive recall plan when necessary. Whether it concerns a lawnmower or other item of lawn or garden equipment, Toro works with CPSC to develop a notification program to reach its customers effectively. For example, when Toro recalled a particular lawnmower, it developed a plan consisting of various forms of public notice, including a joint press release with CPSC, in-store posters, direct mail, and web site notifications. It developed and initiated its remedies in ways that made it as easy as possible for the consumer to take advantage of the correction, either through return to the dealer or directly to Toro.
Hasbro, Inc. A toy manufacturer with production plants and offices in the U.S. and many other countries, Hasbro maintains a well-coordinated quality assurance program. Nevertheless, when a problem comes to its attention, Hasbro's safety team works with CPSC on a plan to get the products out of the marketplace and to direct notice to the people most likely to have the products in their homes. Recently, Hasbro reported and recalled two infant toys, totaling about 970,000 products, that could break and release small parts and present choking hazards to young children. In both cases, the products had passed quality assurance testing when new, but some consumers reported that the toys broke during use. The company joined with CPSC in comprehensive recall plans to get the information to the public, including joint news releases, video news releases, point of purchase posters, interactive web site notices, and posters for pediatricians to use in their offices. Hasbro’s comprehensive remedial plans are a model for other companies.
9. WORK WITH CPSC TO MAKE SURE YOUR RECALL PLAN IS EFFECTIVE
Burger King Corporation. Burger King Corporation's voluntary recall of plastic Pokemon Balls is a model of how far reaching a recall notification program can be. Two young children suffocated when one-half of a Pokemon Ball reportedly became stuck on their faces. Working in cooperation with CPSC, Burger King conducted the largest recall on record, and used a variety of tools to reach out to the public. The recall was publicized through press releases, a video news release, Burger King’s web site, a toll free number and in-restaurant posters. However, Burger King went much further. It also notified consumers through paid television advertisements on network and cable channels and an audio news release, both of which were broadcast in English and Spanish; it printed notices on hundreds of millions of carry-out bags, french fry bags and tray liners; and it printed posters in English and Spanish that it sent to pediatricians, emergency room directors and other health care providers and distributed through state and local SAFE KIDS coalition. Burger King has shown how to go the extra mile to get the word out to consumers about important safety information.
Whirlpool Corporation. When there is a recall, the firm conducting it should work with CPSC to make sure it is effective. It is very important that firms monitor their recalls to assess how well they are working and to make sure that the return rate is high enough. Additional actions may be necessary. That was the case in one Whirlpool dishwasher recall. Whirlpool was not satisfied with the return rate in several parts of the country. At Whirlpool’s initiative, Whirlpool and CPSC issued a second notice because of the less than desired consumer response in certain areas. That is an example of the kind of action responsible companies should be prepared to take to ensure that their recalls are successful. At present, Whirlpool is one of a group of companies that is cooperating with CPSC on a pilot project aimed at increasing recall effectiveness through improved and streamlined warranty cards.
10. LEARN FROM MISTAKES - YOURS AND OTHERS’