Import Safety Working Group Submits Initial Findings Amid Wave of Recalls
October 23, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS
| |
| IHS Sells Standards & Regulations |
Environment/Health/Safety solutions from IHS include current & historical codes, regs & standards from gov't, int'l & industry sources.
Complete this form for a free quote. |
|
Recent recommendations from the U.S. Interagency Working Group on Import Safety, a committee charged with identifying actions to improve the safety of imported products, said cooperation between the U.S. government and the private sector, as well as third-party certifications, were key to strengthening the safety of imports.
Established by executive order in July 2007, the working group is chaired by U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt and is comprised of senior officials from the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Commerce, the U.S. Trade Representative, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and other agencies.
The working group's report details preliminary recommendations and strategies that build upon existing efforts to improve import safety while facilitating trade. A follow-up report, to be released in mid-November, will lay down short- and long-term action plans.
Experts said approximately $2 trillion in products were imported into the U.S. in 2006. By 2015, this number is expected to triple. The increasing volume of imports, the working group said, creates an urgent need for a strategic import safety framework that considers a product's life cycle and focuses resources on minimizing the likelihood of unsafe products reaching U.S. borders.
The working group's risk-based model is founded on the principles of prevention, intervention and response. A major component of the framework includes identifying opportunities for increased cooperation with foreign governments and manufacturers, importers and others to ensure that the private sector takes a leading role in strengthening the safety of imports.
The working group also called for the U.S. government to partner with the private sector to implement preventive approaches that build safety into manufacturing and distribution processes. Third-party certifications and testing requirements were identified as key components to this initiative.
Source: American National Standards Institute (ANSI).