How can you be certain that your product designs or manufacturing processes are CPSIA compliant?
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) includes detailed standards and regulations that significantly impact the way innovators approach the design, manufacturing, distribution, and advertising of consumer products targeted at children and youth.
Ove the past five decades, Exponent scientists and engineers have contributed to the scientific body of work addressed by the CPSIA and advised our clients throughout the entire product lifecycle to help them ensure their processes are compliant at each step — from design, production, and delivery to marketing and advertising.
What should clients know about the revised CPSIA?
The focus of the revised CPSIA standards include:
- Communication of safety information alongside targeted advertising
- Children's ability to access product components
- Standards application and testing
- Corrective action plans for products that do not currently meet standards
- Tracking and analysis of injury and consumer complaint data
- Exposure testing methods and protocols
- Health effects of low levels of lead and phthalates in products
How does our multidisciplinary approach benefit those involved in the design and distribution of children's products?
Our multidisciplinary teams include engineers representing 90+ scientific and engineering disciplines — from human factors to health science. This unique collaboration allows our clients to understand how potential users will interact with their products before development and launch. We use a variety of multisensory tests and simulations and provide our clients with visual models, scientific data, and real-life experiments so they are equipped to identify potential hazards and take a proactive approach to mitigate risks.
Services
For 50+ years, we’ve thrived on solving unstructured problems that require bespoke solutions. Some of our services include:
Human Factors & Engineering
• Analysis and interpretation of reports of harm related to a consumer product
• Development of cautionary statements for product advertisements
• Assessment of the comprehension of product warnings at point of sale and effects on purchasing decisions and user behaviors
• Evaluation of difficulty of child access to product components
• Design, administration, and analysis of consumer-product interaction studies
• Assessment of developmental and age appropriateness of products or activities
• Development of corrective action plans
• Assistance in developing internal standards, testing programs, product databases, and tracking procedures
Health & Human Safety
• Analysis and interpretation of harm relating to chemicals in a consumer product
• Evaluation of potential exposure based on product handling and exposure simulation studies
• Analysis of data designed to demonstrate a potential health hazard — including bioavailability studies and physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling
• Strategically targeted lead and phthalate product testing programs
• Lead and phthalate toxicity and exposure studies
• Evaluation of product exemptions based on inaccessibility or lack of adverse impact on public health or safety
Experts
Our global and comprehensive expertise across industries gives us a deep understanding of current challenges, best industry practices, and the implications of emerging technologies.
Corporate Vice President, Practice Director and Principal Scientist
Senior Managing Engineer
