Consumer Safety: What Can You Do About It?

Whether buying for a boy or girl, young or old the first thing to do when selecting a gift is to think safety. We all think there is a plethora of organizations monitoring and testing the toys, books, clothes, chemicals, electronics, etc. that we bestow upon our loved ones every year. But is that fact or fiction? What do the business tycoons raking in millions upon millions of dollars every year do to ensure our safety? Are we safe in assuming when we buy those "age appropriate" articles and use our products wisely and correctly that someone has taken our best interest to heart? You might want to reconsider if you have fallen prey to the old adage of the blind leading the blind.

It was not all that long ago, the United States parenting population fell into an uproar after discovering our children were victims of greed and deception. Oh my, that would never happen here in the good old USA. Or would it? What allowed the lead based toys of 2007 to make it into American homes? Was it poor consumer protection management, funding, or just plain negligence? How is it that thousands upon thousands of products ranging from pacifiers and rattles to scuba gear and computers must be recalled each year due to choking, burning, paint, or other potential injury or malfunction?

Battle of Us and Them: Government and Personal Accountability

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) maintains a list of voluntary and involuntary toy hazard recalls. The problem is the CPSC is also charged with overseeing an astronomical amount of other consumer products ensuring the safety of American households and they just don't have the staff or the funds to do so successfully. Again, so what can we do about it? One, we can be wary consumers. Inspect what you buy and don't blindly assume if it's on the shelf then it should be safe. According to the CPSC, there are greater than $800 billion in damages annually due to malfunctioning consumer products.

Parents and grandparents listen up. This is a responsibility that can be left to no one other than us. There is no other human on this earth who cares for your child the way that you do. So what can and should you do? Inspect, inspect, inspect. Here are a few specific things to watch for: small parts such as button, bows, balls, etc. that are tied or secured by rope, twine, or thread of any type; too much plush or fuzzy of fabric or body parts which could lead to potential shearing of fuzz balls leading to choking hazards; and any type of battery operated mechanism can potentially overheat so keep a close eye on this one. Paint is always a danger. If you buy a painted toy be sure you check out the toxicity statement on the label and if there is not one report it to the CPSC.

So what else can we do as wise consumers and consumer advocates? Along with buying cautiously and inspecting before we buy, we should report any potentially unsafe product, verify the report is addressed, speak up on safety issues, and refuse to be a victim. If the manufacturers of these potential dangers would perform more thorough testing prior to the product coming to market, damages and incidents may be more easily prevented. We as a consumer base and a nation must demand accountability of the businesses and organizations with which we place our trust and spend our money.

Finally, we can partake of opportunities to improve our knowledge on products and encourage others toward consumer accountability. The CPSC makes an enormous amount of data available on product review and inspection, maintains a clearinghouse of injury information and has a multitude of data sheets, pamphlets and brochures available for printing and sharing. You can also check out Consumer Watchdog for more infamous consumer issues such as corporateering (saving our privacy from the corporate bully), insurance, energy and health care issues. Keep your eyes open in these two places and you'll never need to search for a cause. So, most importantly, what can You do? Be smart, be safe, speak up and refuse to be a victim.

Keywords: consumer safety, toys, watchdog, parent, responsibility, consumer responsibility, corporateering, CPSC, injury information

Resources:
Consumer Product Safety Commission; Toy Hazard Recalls; US Consumer Product Safety Commission

Consumer Product Safety Commission; Guide to Public Information; US Consumer Product Safety Commission

Consumer Watchdog; Fighting Corporateering; Consumer Watchdog.org: Keeping an Eye Out for You