Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 111/2/21

28 February 2014

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 189/2014

US : CPSC: Information Disclosure Under the Consumer Product Safety Act

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued in the Federal Register (FR) of 26 February 2014 a notice of proposed rulemaking to update the regulation that interprets section 6(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA).

DETAILS

2.Under section 6(b) of the CPSA, the CPSC is required to notify manufacturers or private labellers when disclosing information about a consumer product that will permit the public to readily ascertain their identities. This law also requires the CPSC to take reasonable steps to assure that the information to be disclosed is accurate and the disclosure is fair and reasonably related to effectuating the purposes of the CPSA. The Consumer Safety Improvement Act of 2008 amended section 6 of the CPSA, to shorten the time periods from 30 to 15 days for manufacturers and private labellers to receive advanced notice and have an opportunity to comment on any disclosure. In addition, the requirement that the CPSC publish a FR notice when it makes a finding that public health and safety necessitates public disclosure within a lesser period of notice was eliminated, and the statutory exceptions to the notification requirement were broadened.

3.The CPSC is now proposing to modify its regulation to reflect these amendments. Written comments must be made by 28 April 2014. Please refer to the relevant FR notice for details: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-02-26/pdf/2014-03600.pdf.

ENQUIRIES

4.For enquiries concerning this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5682.

Yours faithfully,

(Ms Linda NG)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry