ICPHSO symposium addresses product safety issues
Product safety takes center stage at this year’s International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization’s (ICPHSO) annual meeting and training symposium being held in Washington, D.C. February 29-March 3, 2016.
ICPHSO was founded in 1993 and is the only organization that is comprised of product health and safety professionals from around the world. ICPHSO’s annual Symposium provides an opportunity for nearly 700 of these safety professionals to come together to hear timely and relevant information from over 100 speakers pertaining to the safety of consumer products worldwide. Issues being addressed at this year’s Symposium include:
Keynote Luncheon Address by Senator Tom Udall (Tuesday) who has been actively involved in the sports concussion area;
Keynote Luncheon Address by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Elliot Kaye (Wednesday). Chairman Kaye and a Health Canada official will also hold a media availability event highlighting recent safety advances to eliminate one of the top hidden hazards in the home through the design of child safe window blinds and shades (Wednesday);
Discussion of emerging hazards including hover board safety issues that have recently been in the news as a result of fires and falls to its users (Tuesday);
Full day tutorials (Monday) featuring ways to ensure products are labeled appropriately; how to sell products in China; U.S.-Canada Cross Border
Recalls; developing an internal compliance program to meet regulatory requirements and best practices; and the screening of chemicals in consumer products;
Presentations by Consumer Product Safety Commission staff (Wednesday) on running an effective recall; avoiding civil and criminal penalties; complying with consumer product certification rules; and navigating CPSC on line with the agency’s new Regulatory Robot Tool;
International Sessions (Wednesday) featuring regulators from CPSC, Health Canada, EU, PROFECO, Colombia, New Zealand and Japan’s National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE) among some 19 different countries represented at the Symposium;
American Bar Association Legal presentations (Wednesday) highlighted by a panel discussion on Compliance & Enforcement or Compliance Vs Enforcement by CPSC Commissioners Anne Marie Buerkle and Marietta S. Robinson;
Other topics of discussion during the week include selling safe products in the second hand market, renewable energy and consumers and using social media to assure product safety in the age of e-commerce (Tuesday);
Thursday (final day) discussions include the Impact of Voluntary Standards on Product Safety featuring CPSC Commissioner Robert Adler and senior leaders of three of the major voluntary standards organizations – ANSI, ASTM and UL as well as other high-level industry members;
A closing Roundtable lunch discussion will focus on why recalls aren’t as effective as the can be with discussions by researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Institute of Design reporting on a project they have underway for Kids in Danger (KIDS) in an effort to improve recall effectiveness and the resulting injuries and deaths that can occur from these products.
When: Monday, February 29 – Thursday, March 3, 3016
Where: Renaissance Hotel Downtown
999 9th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Meeting Agenda: http://www.icphso.org/events
