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The “I” in ICPHSO
When I first start attending the meetings of the International Consumer Product Safety Health Organization (ICPHSO) several years ago, I was struck by how international the group was. What I had wrongly perceived as a CPSC-oriented organization had members from Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia. The leadership of Health Canada, DG SANCO in Europe, and AQSIQ in China all presented at the meetings. Then ICPHSO began having meetings in far-flung places like London and Beijing and even Arnhem!
Fast forward to today and it is a given that ICPHSO will meet in Europe every two years and will meet in Asia in the alternate years. Our next meeting is scheduled for Brussels on November 18-20, 2008 at European Commission (EC) headquarters (Charlemagne Building). If you have not already registered, you should do so immediately. In my view, the European Training Symposiums have been among the most substantive of all of the ICPHSO meetings that I have attended. Bruce Farquhar, who organizes the European symposiums, does an outstanding job at pulling together disparate stakeholders from government, industry and consumer groups, for a lively discussion of issues like counterfeiting, product safety law in Europe, global harmonization of standards, and the like. Our host this year, the European Commission, has graciously provided outstanding space for our meetings and is also sponsoring our Dinner on Tuesday night, November 18th.
So the “I” in ICPHSO is very important to the organization. Please be assured that we will continue our international focus with more meetings in Europe and Asia in future years.
See you in Brussels!
David H. Baker
ICPHSO President
Just returned from a four-day golfing trip in the mountains of North Carolina. Some call it a good walk spoiled. I call it a walk in the woods with your friends with a wager. No matter—the trees were turning their unique Autumn colors and the sky was Carolina blue. Beautiful. Life is good.
Returned to the "office" trying to catch up on the many e-mails and voice messages. Busy is good, even for an old retiree, and certainly no moss has been growing under ICPHSO's feet. Look what ICPHSO will accomplish in the two years since our 2007 Florida Symposium:
- China - May 2007
- Washington, DC - Feb. 2008
- Chicago - May 2008
- Brussels - Nov. 2008
- Florida - Feb. 2009
That is six major meetings in two years—four successfully completed and two to go. In addition we have successfully negotiated a contract with Technical Enterprises, Inc. (TEI) a full-service association management company. We also initiated a Membership Program which will help ICPHSO financially to continue its mission of addressing consumer product safety issues through education.
A word of caution, while ICPHSO is discussing the possibilities of holding future meetings in Japan and Canada, we are fully aware of the many economic uncertainties facing both the public and private sectors. Travel and sponsor budgets may be one of the first budget cuts and these cuts may affect how and where ICPHSO will do business.
Stay tuned!
Ross Koeser
Executive Director, ICPHSO
ICPHSO 4th European Meeting and Training Symposium November
18-19, 2008
Charlemagne Building,
Brussels, Belgium
ICPHSO is excited to return to Brussels. This event will bring together a broad range of (non-food) consumer product safety professionals from around the globe, representing regulators, businesses, consumer organizations, standard makers, and test laboratories. The week will kick off with a high-level meeting between the European Commission, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Chinese government to enhance global governance of product safety, hosted by Meglena Kuneva, European Commissioner for Consumers.
ICPHSO's meeting will anchor the weeks' activities. The two-day meeting will give participants a unique opportunity to engage in dialogue with top government officials and experts in their field.
Confirmed and invited keynote speakers include:
- Mrs. Meglena Kuneva, European Commissioner for Consumers
- Robert Madelin, Director General of the Health and Consumers Directorate General of the European Commission
- Nancy Nord, Acting Chairman, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
- Minister Li Changjiang, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ)
Other confirmed and invited speakers include: Stefano Soro, EC; John Gibson Mullan, CPSC; Annette Dragsdahl, Business Europe; Carter Keithley, Toy Industry Association; Stephen Russell, ANEC; Suzanne Kiraly, Canadian Standards Association; and many more outstanding experts.
ICPHSO 6th Annual Meeting and Training Symposium
Mark your calendars:
February 24-27, 2009
The Florida Hotel and Conference Center
1500 Sand Lake Road
Orlando, FL 32809
- ICPHSO Descends on Brussels Again
- ICPHSO Membership: Join Us and Help Spread the Word about Our Mission
1. ICPHSO Descends on
Brussels Again
By Bruce Farquhar
ICPHSO is to meet again in Europe this year, the second time in Brussels, the home of the European Commission, to whom we are again deeply indebted for their generous support of our meeting. The recent joint EU and US mission to China has underscored the importance of international cooperation on non-food consumer product safety. The new legal base for the US-CPSC and the results of the European Commission's stock-taking of the European product safety regime recognize the importance of international collaboration and also provide the basis for increased collaboration in the future. The ICPHSO conference will once again bring together the major players in non-food consumer product safety with all the interested stakeholders. We will be afforded an excellent opportunity to review progress on international cooperation and hear about some new emerging issues. Nanotechnology, counterfeiting and environmental issues are all featured on a very full program. Further details and registration information can be found on the ICPHSO Web site.
2. ICPHSO Membership: Join Us and Help Spread the Word about Our Mission
Members are the heart and soul of every organization. They get things done, generate new ideas, and help move an organization forward while upholding its mission. If you are already a member of ICPHSO (International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization), great! We thank you for your dedication to our organization. If not, you should join today! We also ask that everyone help spread the word about our mission to their colleagues.
ICPHSO was founded in 1993 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to addressing health and safety issues related to consumer products marketed globally. ICPHSO is the only organization that attracts an international membership of health and safety professionals who meet annually to exchange ideas and share information. Our 2008 annual symposium drew 450 attendees and presenters from 18 countries. Every year since its inception, ICPHSO has enjoyed an increase in participation from consumers and consumer advocates, government agencies, businesses, legal firms, and academia.
In August of 2008 ICPHSO became a membership-driven organization where members pay dues annually. We currently have a total of 96 members, and we’d like to see this number grow.
Some of the Benefits an ICPHSO Membership Offers:
- Annual symposium with top-notch speakers and hundreds of attendees from the U.S. and 18 other countries!
- Discounted symposium rates
- Online access to symposium presentations
- Training seminars throughout the year
- Quarterly e-news with updates about trends in the industry, upcoming events, regulatory topics, and ICPHSO association news
- Leadership/committee opportunities within ICPHSO
- Jobs postings for job seekers and companies
- www.ICPHSO.org, the go-to Web site for industry news, events, and links to other health and safety organizations
- Forum for members to share information and ideas
Our members are:
- Representatives from government agencies
- Manufacturers
- Importers
- Retailers
- Certification/testing laboratories
- Law firms
- Product and safety professionals
The membership categories, benefits, and pricing information (dues) can be found by clicking here.
If you have any questions about membership in ICPHSO, contact our Membership Department at (414) 908-4930, Ext. 116 or by e-mail: icphso_membership@icphso.org.
INDUSTRY NEWS top
- STR Changing the Names of Its Subsidiaries to Reflect Global Brand
- U.S. CPSC Protects Public, Has 15,000 Types of Products Under Its Jurisdiction
- CPSC Staff Change: Quin Dodd to Depart Agency: Joy Martyak Named New Chief of Staff
1. STR Changing the Names of Its Subsidiaries to Reflect Global Brand
Specialized Technology Resources (STR) announced that in January of 2009 two of its subsidiary companies—CSCC (Cal Safety Compliance Organization) and Shuster Laboratories—will transition to the STR name to continue building its unified brand throughout the world.
CSCC, which STR acquired in 1999, is its responsible sourcing division that helps companies build secure and socially responsible relationships with their supply chain partners. Shuster, acquired by STR in 2002, provides product testing and quality assurance services for consumer-packaged goods.
The name change simply means that the companies you’ve known and trusted will deliver exactly the same top-quality products and services, under one name. This is the first step in a broad and long-term effort to improve the quality of its client services, focus and data management.
As a result of the name change, STR clients will notice a few differences. They will roll out new e-mail addresses by the end of the year for all STR personnel based in North America and a dynamic new Web site. Nothing else will change. For more information about STR, go to www.strlab.com.
2. U.S. CPSC Protects Public, Has 15,000 Types of Products Under Its Jurisdiction
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $800 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products—such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals—contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov. (September 2008 edition of CPSC's new monthly e-newsletter, "The Safety Review." is now available. You can download it at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/tsr1008.pdf.)
3. CPSC Staff Change: Quin Dodd to Depart Agency: Joy Martyak Named New Chief of Staff
CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy A. Nord announced that Quin Dodd will be leaving his position as CPSC Chief of Staff, effective October 1, 2008. She also announced that Joseph Martyak, her Counsel, will assume the position of Chief of Staff at that time.
“The CPSC and I have been very fortunate to have benefited from Quin’s experience and leadership, especially during this time of such challenge and change for the agency,” said Chairman Nord. “Quin has been a key member of the senior CPSC leadership team providing input and guidance during the drafting of the landmark consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which became law on August 14, 2008. I have relied on his judgment, knowledge and counsel and I thank him for his dedicated service to me, this agency, and the American people.”
Mr. Dodd will be returning to private practice.