| Small Business Ombudsman U.S. CPSC Washington, D.C. 20207 Tele. (888) 531-9070 Fax: (301) 504-0121 E-mail: sbo@cpsc.gov |
| Do CPSC's laws and regulations cover me if I only have a few employees or don't operate full time? | ||||
Yes, they do. CPSC's laws cover every company -- regardless of how few employees it has or how few hours a week it operates -- that manufactures, imports, distributes, or sells any type of consumer product covered by any law CPSC administers.
| As a small business, do I have any reporting obligations under CPSC's laws? | Yes. Firms, regardless of size, must report any potentially hazardous products to CPSC immediately (within 24 hours, as a general rule), in accordance with section 15(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act [15 USC ยง 2064(b)]. Any firm must report to CPSC if it has information that reasonably supports the conclusion that a product fails to meet a CPSC consumer product safety rule, standard, or ban, contains a defect which could create a substantial product hazards, or creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death must report to CPSC. | Firms can file reports of potentially hazardous products on CPSC's web site. For more information, see A Small Business Guide to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. | |||