General Information
Q: What is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission?
A: CPSC is an independent federal regulatory agency formed in 1972 with a mission to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injury or death from consumer products through education, safety standards activities, regulation, and enforcement. We are a small agency with a large mission, and we work to ensure the safety of consumers every day.
Q: What does CPSC do?
A: We work to save lives and keep families safe by reducing the unreasonable risk of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products and fulfilling our vision to be the recognized global leader in consumer product safety. We do this by:
- Developing voluntary standards with standards organizations, manufacturers and businesses;
- Issuing and enforcing mandatory standards or banning consumer products if no feasible standard would adequately protect the public;
- Obtaining the recall of products and arranging for a repair, replacement or refund for recalled products;
- Researching potential product hazards;
- Informing and educating consumers directly and through traditional, online, and social media and by working with foreign, state and local governments and private organizations; and
- Educating manufacturers worldwide about our regulations, supply chain integrity and development of safe products.
CPSC's annual report, strategic plan and performance reports give detailed information about the agency's priorities and work.
Q: Does CPSC recommend specific brands or models of products that are safest for consumers to buy?
A: No. CPSC does not endorse or recommend specific brands of products. We provide information to consumers on what safety features to look for in products.
Q: Where is CPSC located?
A: CPSC has offices in Bethesda, Md., Rockville, Md., and Beijing, China. Our staff is comprised of about 520 people, including about 120 investigators and compliance officers working throughout the country in communities where you live and work and at our nation's ports.
Q: How can I contact CPSC?
A: Our contact information page gives you phone numbers and contact forms to get in touch with us.
Recalls
Q: Why is a consumer product recalled?
A: CPSC announces recalls of products that present a significant risk to consumers, either because the product could contain a defect or because it violates a mandatory safety standard.
Q: If I own a recalled product, does that mean I should stop using it?
A: Typically yes. You should follow the specific guidance in CPSC's recall announcement for that specific product to secure a replacement, repair or refund.
Q: Suppose I have a product that's been recalled, but I don't hear about the recall until a week, a month or a year or more later. How long is a recall in effect?
A: There is usually no end date to a product recall. Even if you don't learn of the recall for a year or more, you should follow the guidance in the recall notice the CPSC issues. Call the company at the toll-free number or contact the company through its website, both of which are listed in CPSC's news release. This information is listed in the "Consumer Contact" information on more recent recalls. If you are unsuccessful with the company, contact CPSC's toll-free hotline at (800) 638-2772 or send an e-mail via CPSC's Contact Form.
Q: If a product made by a particular company is recalled, does that mean the company's other similar products are unsafe?
A: No. Each recall that CPSC announces applies only to the specific brand and model identified in the recall announcement. In many cases, the recall applies only to products manufactured and date-coded for specific time periods (e.g. brand "X", model "Y" manufactured between Aug. 1, 2010, and Oct. 17, 2012). Specific descriptions of each recalled product are given in each CPSC recall announcement.
Q: If a product I have is recalled, will I get my money back?
A: Not necessarily. There is no one-size-fits-all remedy for recalled products. Remedies typically consist of a refund, repair or replacement. The remedy for consumers is described in each recall announcement.
Q: How can I find out about recalls?
A: Here are several easy ways:
- Subscribe to CPSC e-mail alerts. We send these alerts at the end of each business day.
- Follow CPSC @OnSafety on Twitter. CPSC posts most recalls on Twitter at the same time that we post the recall online.
- Subscribe to CPSC's RSS feed through your e-mail or an RSS reader.
- Check CPSC.gov or SaferProducts.gov frequently.
- If you have your own website or blog, post CPSC recalls by using one of our free widgets.
- Download the government's free Droid recalls.gov mobile app.
Safety Guides
Q: How can I get CPSC safety materials, including alerts, brochures and posters?
A: All of our safety education materials are on CPSC.gov. You can search for them by topic, title, and category. All are free and many of them are available in hard copy. You can order them online by sending an e-mail to info@cpsc.gov. Please include the document number, document name and number of copies that you want in your e-mail. We create many posters in English and Spanish. We encourage you to print and post these in your communities and/or share them online.
Q: Do I need to pay for CPSC Safety Guides?
A: No. CPSC-produced materials are free.
Q: May I reproduce CPSC's safety guides or use material from them without permission?
A: All of our safety guides are in the public domain. This means that you can reproduce them in full without permission. We only ask that you not change the materials and identify CPSC as the source of the information.
Some images on our website and within our safety guides may have been licensed for use by CPSC from a stock photography service. These images may be copyrighted. You may freely copy and distribute photographs of recalled items without permission. If you have a question about whether you can use a specific image, please use send your request using this Contact Form.
Q: Does CPSC have safety materials in languages other than English?
A: Yes, we create safety guides and safety education videos in Spanish. They are available on the Spanish page of CPSC.gov. In addition, CPSC occasionally produces materials in other languages. These are available on the relevant safety guide pages on our website.
Reporting Unsafe Products
Q: If I or someone in my family was harmed by a consumer product, or if I believe a product is unsafe, can I report it to CPSC?
A: Yes. We welcome and encourage you to report any safety concern about a consumer product through our website, SaferProducts.gov. You can also report to us by phone Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054. CPSC accepts reports by Fax at the toll-free phone number (855) 221-6466 and by postal mail. Fill out and mail this form in English or Spanish to:
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Attn: Reports
4330 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814Q: What does CPSC do with my complaint and what feedback will I get from you?
A: If you report to us through SaferProducts.gov, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from CPSC telling you that we have received your report. If you reported to us through our hotline or postal mail, you will get a letter from CPSC's National Injury Information Clearinghouse shortly after we receive your complaint. The letter will describe how CPSC uses the information that you sent and will ask you to review the report and confirm its accuracy. At that point, you can make corrections or supply us with additional information in your reply.
If you have identified a manufacturer in your report, we send your report to the manufacturer. If you have told us that we may include your name and contact information in what we send to the manufacturer, you may receive a direct response from the company.
We may or may not investigate your product complaint. Agency staff reviews every report that is submitted. We use all reports to identify patterns of injuries and hazards and guide our regulatory work. Due to the large volume of reports received by the CPSC each year, agency staff, unfortunately, cannot investigate and respond to every report on an individual basis. As a data-driven agency, every report is important to the CPSC as we undertake additional analysis and product investigations, where appropriate.
If we decide to investigate the product you've reported to us, a CPSC investigator will contact you. (It may be a while after you have sent us your complaint.) If, based on the investigation, we decide a recall or other action is required, that action will not be made public until we issue a news release.
Injury Data
Q: Does CPSC have injury data on particular consumer products that I can see?
A: Yes, CPSC is a respected source for fatality and injury statistics for the thousands of products under our jurisdiction. Our published product-related injury studies are on our website. Plus, you can use our National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) to search for national injury estimates derived from sample emergency room reports. If you need information not available from either of these sources, you can request injury data from our National Injury Information Clearinghouse by calling (301) 504-7921, by e-mail to clearinghouse@cpsc.gov, by fax to (855) 221-6466 or by postal mail to
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,
National Injury Information Clearinghouse,
4330 East West Highway,
Bethesda MD 20814Business/Jurisdiction
Q: What products does CPSC regulate?
A: CPSC regulates thousands of types of consumer products, including many hazardous substances. These products range from dishwashers to toys, from all-terrain vehicles to art supplies, from children's sleepwear to portable gas generators, from cigarette lighters to household chemicals. Here's a list of regulated products for which consumer product safety rules exist.
CPSC relies on its main statutes, the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) for the majority of its jurisdiction. Here is the full list of laws that CPSC administers.
Q: Does CPSC have jurisdiction over all consumer products?
A: No. We don't have jurisdiction over some categories of consumer products. They include automobiles and other on-road vehicles, tires, boats, alcohol, tobacco, firearms, food, drugs, cosmetics, pesticides, and medical devices. This list on our website directs you to the correct agency for products that are outside of our jurisdiction.
Q: Does my product need to comply with CPSIA requirements?
A: The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 authorized a variety of new regulations and testing requirements for all children's products and some non-children's products. This page on our website guides you through how to determine whether your product needs to comply with these regulations.
Q: How does CPSC regulate products?
A: CPSC requires that manufacturers and importers of children's products certify that their products comply with mandatory rules after testing at third party laboratories whose accreditation is accepted by the CPSC. CPSC also requires manufacturers and importers of some non-children's products to certify that their products comply with mandatory rules after testing and establishing a reasonable testing program. The CPSA outlines the prohibited actions that apply to anyone who sells, offers for sale, manufactures for sale, distributed in commerce or imports any consumer product regulated by the CPSC. Failure to comply with these prohibited acts could subject you to civil and criminal penalties.
Q: What do I need to know if I can't find a regulation for my product?
A: Here's a list of regulated products. Even if there is not a specific mandatory regulation in place for a product, CPSC may still have jurisdiction over a consumer product. You may be obligated to report a product with a potential health or safety hazard, as described below. In addition, CPSC urges companies to comply with voluntary standards that may exist for a consumer product.
Q: How can I review safety issues involving my industry?
A: Search for recalls by Product Type on CPSC's recall search page to see products that CPSC has recalled. This can give you a sense of the issues faced by your industry. CPSC expects consumer product-related businesses to be conversant on the issues and concerns facing your industry. You can also search for product safety reports submitted to CPSC through SaferProducts.gov. This is another valuable resource to help you monitor the types of hazards being reported about products.
Q: Does my business need to tell CPSC about a potentially unsafe product?
A: Yes. All manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers regardless of size are required to report potentially hazardous products under Section 15 of the Consumer Product Safety Act. You need to report products within 24 hours of getting information that reasonably lets you know that a product harms someone or does not comply with safety rules. You can file this report in our business section of SaferProducts.gov. You can also report to us by calling CPSC's Office of Compliance at (301) 504-7520 or by sending an e-mail to sect15@cpsc.gov.
Q: Does CPSC tell me about reports it receives about my company's products?
A: Yes. We encourage you to register your company in the Business Portal on SaferProducts.gov. This ensures that we can get reports to you quickly and give you more time to respond to a report before it is scheduled to post on SaferProducts.gov. Notifications through SaferProducts.gov are safe and secure.
Q: Does CPSC test or certify products for safety before they can be sold to consumers?
A: No. CPSC doesn't have the legal authority to certify products. However, responsible companies test their products before offering them for sale. Companies selling children's products are required to test their products and certify that their products comply with safety standards.
Q: What do retailers have to do to comply with federal safety laws?
A: Retailers are subject to certain CPSC regulations, which are here. They are also subject to reporting requirements under Section 15 of the CPSA. In addition, manufacturers of children's products (and certain other products) are required by law to show proof to retailers that their products comply with CPSC regulations.
Q: Do CPSC safety standards cover all manufacturers, retailers, importers and distributors of consumer products regardless of their size, number of employees or income?
A: Yes. For additional assistance and guidance, contact our Office of Education, Global Outreach, and Small Business Ombudsman. CPSC has a Small Business Ombudsman to help small businesses understand and comply with consumer product safety regulations. Certain small batch manufacturers can use alternative testing requirements to lessen the costs associated with some third-party testing.) Larger businesses can contact us at business@cpsc.gov.
Q: How can I stay informed about regulations that might affect my business?
A: Here are several easy ways:
- Subscribe to CPSC e-mail alerts for businesses. We have different e-mail alerts that explain CPSC regulations to the business community;
- Follow CPSC @CPSCSmallBiz on Twitter. CPSC's Small Business Ombudsman posts updates on Twitter as new regulations are proposed and as new frequently asked questions are published on our website;
- Review our explanation of the regulatory process and follow the instructions for staying informed.
History and Organization
Q: When was CPSC created?
A: CPSC was created in 1972 by Congress under the Consumer Product Safety Act and began operating in 1973.
Q: Why was CPSC created?
A: In the Consumer Product Safety Act, Congress directed CPSC to protect the public "against unreasonable risks of injuries associated with consumer products."
Q: What federal Cabinet department does CPSC report to?
A: CPSC is an independent agency. It doesn't report to nor is it part of any other department or agency in the federal government.
Q: Who heads CPSC?
A: The agency is headed by five commissioners nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for staggered seven-year terms. The President designates one of the commissioners as Chairman. The current Chairman is Inez Tenenbaum. For more information on the current commissioners, see their biographical information.
Q: How is the agency organized?
A: Here's the agency organizational chart. The five commissioners set policy for CPSC. The Chairman is the chief administrator. The following six offices report directly to the chairman: Communications, Equal Employment & Minority Enterprise, Executive Director, General Counsel, Inspector General, and Legislative Affairs.
The Executive Director directs and oversees Commission policy and administration, which are implemented by the offices that report to him: Compliance & Field Operations; Education, Global Outreach and Small Business Ombudsman; Facilities Services; Financial Management, Planning & Evaluation; Hazard Identification & Reduction; Human Resources Management; Import Surveillance; and Information & Technology Services.
Q: How big is CPSC?
A: As of July 2012, CPSC has more than 500 employees.
Q: What is CPSC's budget?
A: CPSC's budget is set by Congress. CPSC's budget requests and annual performance and financial statements are available on the budget page of our website.
Commenting to CPSC
Q: How can I get more information about CPSC?
A: E-mail your question to us using our online contact form. It will be forwarded to the appropriate person for a response. You can also call our toll-free hotline at (800) 638-2772. If you know the office that you need to reach, use our contact page for specific CPSC offices.
Q: Can I comment to CPSC on current rulemaking?
A: Yes. We encourage comments. Here's how rulemaking works. CPSC has joined with other federal agencies to centralize rulemaking comments. Submit your comments electronically to us using the Regulations.gov website. Comments must be submitted by the date indicated on the federal register notice about a specific rule. The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules and notices of Federal agencies and organizations. Comments can also be sent to us - preferably five copies - through postal mail, hand delivery or courier to:
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of the Secretary
4330 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814We do not accept e-mail comments regarding rulemaking.
