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A former board member of the U.S. Government Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Robert Adler, has been pushing the CPSC to aggressively target injuries caused by consumer products which are under their jurisdiction. He estimates these products cost the nation more than $100 billion a year.

The CPSC has jurisdiction over all consumer products excluding those regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), motor vehicles, tobacco, firearms, alcohol, boats, pesticides and other chemicals. The CPSC handles products ranging from appliances, to ladders, to bedding, and even the wiring used in a home. In 2013 the CPSC estimated that more than 10 million Americans, age 50 and older, sustained injuries from products under their jurisdiction.

Dr. Gary A. Smith, the Director of the not-for-profit Center for Injury Research and Policy, was recently quoted as saying, "The statistics for accidents at home are shocking." One of his biggest concerns is the issue of falls caused, in some cases, by defective products. The defects can include design flaws or, among other things, a failure to warn the purchasers and/or users of  the dangers of using these products in an adequate fashion.

Products under the CPSC's jurisdiction have included a number of recalls in 2014 including one, for example, of more than 100 thousand adult bed rails that, because of faulty design, posed a serious risk of entrapment, strangulation and death. Both Dr. Smith and Robert Adler point out that the CPSC often works at a "snail's pace", and they point to one example where it took the CPSC more than eight years to develop safety rules for table saws despite a number of serious accidents, including deaths. 

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has published a Home Fit Guide. This guide points out such hidden dangers as aluminum wiring. If a house you are living in or considering buying or renting was built before 1972, it is extremely important to have an electrician check out the wiring. Homes built with aluminum wiring are 55 times more likely than those with copper wiring to go up in smoke. Every year the odds of a fire significantly increases where aluminum wiring was used.

Another hazard pointed out by AARP is paper towels which have been made from recycled material. These paper towels are the cause of many kitchen fires as the metal flecks in them ignite if they are put in a microwave oven. AARP recommends keeping these towels far away from ovens, toasters, indoor grills in addition to microwave ovens. It is a requirement that paper towels made from recycled materials are labeled, but, in the opinion of Dr. Smith, the fire risk is either not stated at all or so inconspicuous it is meaningless.

Robert Adler believes that the CPSC has overlooked the dangers which can exist in products such as aluminum wiring and recycled paper towels. There are thousands more products which have hidden dangers which, in Mr. Adler's opinion, need immediate attention.

"If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of a consumer product, contact our Southwest Florida Defective Products attorneys at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.," says Attorney Randall Spivey.

Southwest Florida Defective Products Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.