The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is a regulatory agency that seeks to eradicate risks and injuries caused by consumer products. The organization directly relates to the concept of regulation since it designs and issues different standards concerning various goods to prevent them from being potentially hazardous. The CPSC also functions as a mediator when a conflict arises between local and state consumer safety regulations. It ensures that the products that pose a threat to human health are not sold and educates consumers on the matters of product safety, thus protecting them from the market. By designing specific requirements that companies have to adhere to, the CPSC makes sure that consumers do not become victims of the products they buy.
There are numerous regulations and standards that the agency has established over the years of its existence, many of them deal with safety standards related to child products. For instance, there is guidance for infant walkers, which requires the manufacturers to design products that are resistant to tipping, prevent falls downstairs, and children being trapped inside the stroller (CPSC, n.d.). Another example of a CPSC regulation concerns small parts for toys and children’s products, which aims to eliminate any situation which involves choking on, swallowing, or inhaling small objects. According to this standard, manufacturers have to test the small part by putting them into a 2.25 inches long by 1.25 inches wide cylinder, imitating the size of a child’s throat (CPSC, n.d.). Companies must not release products that contain objects able to fit into the cylinder, even if they appear after a larger part of the toy has been subjected to tension, flexure, or any impact.
Reference
Consumer Product Safety Commission. (n.d.). Regulations, mandatory standards and bans. Web.