ANSI Forum examines consumer product safety concerns.

Press Release Summary:




On October 18, the Joint Member Forum (JMF) of the ANSI convened to discuss consumer product safety issues. Scott Cooper, ANSI vice president for government relations, stressed the importance of a unified and proactive response from the standards and conformity assessment community. Providing a case study presentation on how its members address product safety, the Toy Industry Association announced a website to help keep consumers informed about recalls and industry activities.



Original Press Release:



ANSI Joint Member Forum Examines Consumer Product Safety Concerns



During an October 18 meeting, the Joint Member Forum (JMF) of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) convened to discuss consumer product safety issues.

Bringing together the entire ANSI Federation, the JMF built upon the Institute's recent Building Consumer Confidence conference, examining how voluntary standards and compliance programs can be leveraged to renew consumer confidence in product safety.

In his opening remarks, Scott Cooper, ANSI vice president for government relations, stressed the importance of a unified and proactive response from the standards and conformity assessment community. "Lawmakers are already moving to reassure U.S. citizens and ensure product safety," he said. "If we don't work together to propose a viable private sector-based solution, we will have to comply with the regulations that are currently being developed."

Following Mr. Cooper's call for action, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) kicked off the meeting with a case study presentation on how its members address product safety. TIA announced the launch of their new public information campaign, www.toyinfo.org. This new website will help to keep consumers informed about recalls and industry activities, and will include information from pediatricians and experts about lead paint and other toy safety concerns.

During an open discussion period, participants re-examined the short-term and long-term actions that were identified during Building Consumer Confidence and carried the topic forward to their respective member forum meetings for more detailed discussion. Moving forward, attendees agreed to focus on global supply chain education and the development of a reliable, third-party verification system. In addition, participants confirmed the need for transparency in the standards and conformity assessment process and committed themselves to the active engagement of consumers.

The Joint Member Forum was part of the World Standards Week 2007 series of events. For more information and to view the week's proceedings, please visit the website.

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