GAO Faults CPSC for Lackluster Product Recall Procedures

The Consumer Product Safety Commission can better protect the public from everyday hazards by “prioritizing resources,” ensuring compliance with its own reporting requirements and measuring recall effectiveness more comprehensively, reported GAO Thursday. Though staff regularly do recall “checks” by confirming that recalled products were removed from shelves and appropriate signage was placed in stores, “CPSC does not consistently assign more checks to higher-risk recalls,” the auditor said. It faulted failing to “centrally track whether firms undertaking recalls have submitted required monthly progress reports.” GAO found 61% of firms submitted progress reports more than 75% of the time for recalls closed in the four years ended in May. CPSC measures the proportion of recalled product units that have been refunded, replaced or repaired, but “using a single measure may not allow CPSC to accurately gauge the effectiveness,” said GAO. Use additional performance metrics, it recommended. CPSC didn’t comment Thursday, but wrote GAO Nov. 6 that it "generally" supports the report's recommendations and conclusions. The letter appears in Appendix IV of the report.