unit 4 The Right to Safety

من طرف **jaki_hicham** الأربعاء أبريل 30, 2008 8:13 am

THE RIGHT TO SAFETY

Products offered for sale should not pose undue risk of physical harm to consumers or their families; yet in a recent year, for example, some 33 million people in the U.S. were reported injured—and 30,000 were killed—in product-related accidents. Products that cause injuries include impure food, defectively manufactured automobiles and tires, drugs that have harmful side effects, and unsafe appliances.

The U.S. federal government agency responsible for ensuring the safety of most products is the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC was established in 1973 to protect the public from unreasonable risk of injury caused by consumer products; to assist consumers in comparing the safety of various items; to develop uniform safety standards; and to promote research about the causes and prevention of product-related deaths, illnesses, and injuries. It has broad authority to create and enforce safety standards for more than 10,000 consumer products and can ban hazardous items or recall them from the marketplace. The CPSC is responsible for enforcing the Flammable Fabrics Act (1953), which requires fabrics to meet standards of fire resistance, as well as the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (1970), and the Hazardous Substances Act (1960), which ban the use of certain dangerous substances and require warnings and safety information on the labels of others. The CPSC does not have authority over food, drugs, or motor vehicles.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with ensuring that processed foods, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics are safe and properly labeled; that foods are wholesome; and that drugs are effective. It has the power to seize unsafe products and to criminally prosecute businesses that violate safety laws and standards. The FDA inspects food-processing plants to be sure that foods are made and packaged under sanitary conditions. The agency must approve the safety and efficacy of all new prescription drugs before they can be marketed. The FDA also sets safety standards for radiation-emitting products such as microwave ovens.

Motor-vehicle safety is regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which sets highway safety standards, investigates reported safety-related motor-vehicle defects, and enforces laws regarding the correction of such defects. NHTSA can require the recall of defective automobiles or automotive parts; in fact, since 1966 manufacturers have recalled more than 118 million vehicles.

Encarta® Encyclopedia 2002..