Discuss the purpose of the purpose of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the process by which it sets mandatory safety standards. Discuss fully

Answer 1

The purposes of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) include protection of the public against unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products and assistance to consumers in evaluating the comparative safety of such products. Before implementing a mandatory safety standard, the CPSC must find that voluntary standards are inadequate. Standards issued by the CPSC must be reasonably necessary to eliminate any unreasonable risk of injury that the regulated product presents. To determine whether a standard is reasonably necessary, the Commission weighs the standard's effectiveness in preventing injury against its effect on the cost of the product. Any interested person may petition the CPSC to adopt a standard and may resort to judicial remedies if the CPSC denies the petition. The CPSC itself can begin a proceeding to develop a standard by publishing a notice in the Federal Register inviting any person to submit an offer to do the development. Within a specified time limit, the CPSC can then accept such an offer, evaluate the suggestions submitted, and publish a proposed rule. The issuance of the final standard is subject to notice and comment by interested persons.