CPSC's MOU with Brazil Includes Standard Alignment, Joint Enforcement
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a press release announcing its June renewal of a 2008 Memorandum of Understanding with Brazil’s National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (Inmetro) to improve product safety. The MOU includes possible joint enforcement activities, increased information sharing, and an agreement to work to align product safety requirements when possible.
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Activities May Include Joint Enforcement, Aligning Standards, Sharing of Data
Under the renewed, which will expire in June 2013, voluntary CPSC-Inmetro joint activities may include cooperation to:
- Increase enforcement - improve market surveillance and other enforcement mechanisms and explore the possibility of joint recalls and other product safety initiatives.
- Align product safety requirements - assess product safety risks and to align consumer product safety requirements when product safety can be enhanced.
- Improve compliance - improve compliance with the relevant consumer product safety requirements in the U.S. and Brazil.
- Information sharing - enhance and strengthen the sharing and exchange of public regulatory information where legally appropriate, including information on regulations, policies, procedures, injury data, and scientific documents.
- Staff training -- consider training programs and other capacity building activities that are mutually beneficial such as training of technical and laboratory staff, compliance investigators, inspectors, etc.
Brazil to Consider Aligning Its Crib Requirements as First Step
A first step in this initiative, CPSC states that Brazil plans to consider the possibility of aligning its crib safety requirements with the U.S. Among other things, Inmetro will work with CPSC to evaluate crib samples as part of this process.
Chairman Tenenbaum’s remarks in Brazil, dated 06/10/11, available here.
MOU available here.