CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products!!!!

We've been HEARD! The following is directly from the CPSC website...just today!
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans.

Significant to makers of children’s products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers – large and small – of children’s products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.

The decision by the Commission gives the staff more time to finalize four proposed rules which could relieve certain materials and products from lead testing and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted.

The stay will remain in effect until February 10, 2010, at which time a Commission vote will be taken to terminate the stay.

The stay does not apply to:

Four requirements for third-party testing and certification of certain children’s products subject to:
The ban on lead in paint and other surface coatings effective for products made after December 21, 2008;
The standards for full-size and non full-size cribs and pacifiers effective for products made after January 20, 2009;
The ban on small parts effective for products made after February 15, 2009; and
The limits on lead content of metal components of children’s jewelry effective for products made after March 23, 2009.
Certification requirements applicable to ATV’s manufactured after April 13, 2009.
Pre-CPSIA testing and certification requirements, including for: automatic residential garage door openers, bike helmets, candles with metal core wicks, lawnmowers, lighters, mattresses, and swimming pool slides; and
Pool drain cover requirements of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act.
The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA.

Handmade garment makers are cautioned to know whether the zippers, buttons and other fasteners they are using contain lead. Likewise, handmade toy manufacturers need to know whether their products, if using plastic or soft flexible vinyl, contain phthalates.

The stay of enforcement on testing and certification does not address thrift and second hand stores and small retailers because they are not required to test and certify products under the CPSIA. The products they sell, including those in inventory on February 10, 2009, must not contain more than 600 ppm lead in any accessible part. The Commission is aware that it is difficult to know whether a product meets the lead standard without testing and has issued guidance for these companies that can be found on our web site.

The Commission trusts that State Attorneys General will respect the Commission's judgment that it is necessary to stay certain testing and certification requirements and will focus their own enforcement efforts on other provisions of the law, e.g. the sale of recalled products.

Please visit the CPSC Web Site for more information on all of the efforts being made to successfully implement the CPSIA.

Statements on this vote by Acting Chairman Nancy Nord and Commissioner Thomas H. Moore are in portable document format (PDF).

CPSC here we come!

So is it any wonder that I've been soooo behind in blog posts with 4 kids, my job with JetBlue, housework up the ying yang, swimming/basketball/scouts/preschool/school and kindergarten drop offs/pick ups, home owners association board, church responsibilities and of course trying to run my little business that has been growing pretty fast...earlier this week I was behind 36 diaper covers! Oh and my husband needs attention sometimes too and of course I want his attention also! :) If all this wasn't enough we have the CPSIA looming in the distance threatening it's effect on Feb 10th. I am desperately trying to get all elements of my diaper covers etc. tested to be in compliance with CPSIA. It's not as easy as you would think. It's very difficult to find labs that are certified to test in compliance with CPSC regulations and the turn around time is long, it's expensive and very labor intensive and frustrating. I'm just trying to save my business and ensure its growth, I think I've got a good thing going and I'm pretty sure that others do also. Tonight I spent a couple of hours getting together samples of elastic and hook and loop (Velcro) and a diaper cover for submission for testing. It was a long process but hopefully it will have a positive outcome and we can post the certificate for others that use the same product/manufacturer and save them some time and energy. Please keep your fingers crossed that this will all come together and won't be painfully expensive...wishful thinking. I told my sister Kendra that if I have to close up shop I would sell her my designs and she can start making them from Canada where the CPSIA doesn't apply. I guess I can still make covers and children's clothing for my international customers just not the ones in the country in which I reside.

PLEASE SAVE HANDMADE!!

Today Amanda Butterfield from KSL Channel 5 came over to my home and interviewed myself and 3 others from our Utah Etsy Team . The topic?? CPSIA Many of you may know what it is, it is a heated topic amongst many online boards and groups. CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Inspection Act and could potentially shut down thousands of small businesses across the nation that sell products for intended for children under 12. You can read about it more here. In the face of an already crumbling economy it will devastate thousands, whether it's your hobby or your livelihood. Please take a minute to sign petitions or write to congressmen/senators...anyone who will listen as it will heavily impact our economy, landfills, employment rate and ultimately our families. If you can't watch it on TV then please check it out on KSL online and leave a comment...the more comments and "click" we get keep it on the front page of the website and will draw attention to this topic.

Here are the links of the other shops that were featured in the piece:
Bugs n bees
Luminous Mom
Levity in brevity