Statutes

These laws passed by Congress serve as CPSC’s basis for protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction.  

Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA)

Enacted in 1972, CPSA is our umbrella statute. This law established the agency, defines CPSC’s basic authority and authorizes the agency to develop standards and bans. It also gives CPSC the authority to pursue recalls and to ban products under certain circumstances.

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)

This law amended CPSA in 2008 to provide CPSC with significant new regulatory and enforcement tools. CPSIA addresses, among other things, lead, phthalates, toy safety, third-party testing and certification, imports, ATVs, civil and criminal penalties and SaferProducts.gov. It repeals a  funding limitation on the number of CPSC commissioners.

H.R. 2715: Updates to CPSIA

H.R. 2715 amended the CPSIA in 2011 to provide CPSC with greater authority and discretion in enforcing current consumer product safety laws. H.R. 2715 addresses lead content limits and exceptions from these limits, third-party testing and certification and issues related to small batch manufacturers.

Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act (CGCPA)

The Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act requires portable gasoline containers manufactured for sale in the United States on or after January 17, 2009, to conform to safety requirements for child resistant packaging.  

Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA)

The FHSA requires certain hazardous household products to have warning labels. It also gives CPSC the authority to regulate or ban a hazardous substance, and toys or other articles intended for use by children, under certain circumstances to protect the public.  Examples of products regulated under this law include electrically operated toys, cribs, rattles, pacifiers, bicycles, and children’s bunk beds. 

Child Safety Protection Act (CSPA)

The CSPA amends certain provisions of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to better protect small children from choking hazards. The CSPA requires warning labels on specific products and  mandates that manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers report certain choking incidents.

Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act (LHAMA)

LHAMA amends the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, designating the ASTM Standard Practice for Labeling Art Materials for Chronic Health Hazards as a regulation under the Act.  It requires a review of all art materials to determine the potential for causing a chronic hazard.  Art materials that are found to pose a chronic hazard must bear a warning label.

Flammable Fabrics Act (FFA)

The  FFA regulates the manufacture of highly flammable clothing and interior furnishings. Under FFA, CPSC can and has issued standards. Some examples of standards that have been established are for clothing textiles, vinyl plastic film used in clothes, carpets and rugs, children’s sleepwear, mattresses and mattress pads.

Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA)

The PPPA requires a number of household substances to be packaged in child-resistant packaging.

Refrigerator Safety Act (RSA)

The Refrigerator Safety Act requires refrigerators to have a mechanism (usually a magnetic latch) that enables the refrigerator door to be opened from the inside in the event of accidental entrapment.

Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act)

This act establishes a federal swimming pool and spa drain cover standard that requires public pools to be equipped with compliant anti-entrapment drain covers and, in certain instances, with additional devices or suction entrapment prevention systems.