Viewpoint

Here, a monthly perspective from Consumers Union on the latest challenges—and possible solutions—facing U.S. consumers today. See archived installments of Viewpoint.

Safety at your fingertips

In March, David Kemnitz's dryer went past dry, directly to scorch. "My wife smelled smoke," he says. "We opened the door, and the clothing was smoldering." He pulled the plug and doused the clothes with water. Dryer fires have a number of causes, including faulty products, misuse, and installation or maintenance problems. The manufacturer has picked up the unit to investigate.

Kemnitz, who lives in Newnan, Ga., told Consumer Reports about the problem only a week before the Consumer Product Safety Commission launched its new database site, at www.saferproducts.gov, where people can report and search for safety problems with products.

"I would definitely check the consumer database before I bought something else like this again," says Kemnitz, an Army retiree. "It would be nice to know what items there have been complaints about and why."

Timely and balanced

The CPSC has collected reports of safety problems from consumers for many years. But it couldn't make those complaints public unless someone filed a Freedom of Information Act request. Then officials had to consult with the manufacturer before releasing the information; the company could stop the disclosure by filing a protest or a lawsuit. So unless a product was recalled, there were delays of months or even years before others heard about a safety complaint. In the meantime, people used the product unaware that it might cause problems.

The CPSC's new consumer-complaint database helps people quickly share information about safety problems with the commission and with one another. The database has been carefully designed to help ensure that the information it contains is accurate. Manufacturers can review every complaint for inaccuracies and confidential business information before it is posted. If the commission determines that the entry contains either, it will be corrected or it won't be published. Companies can publicly respond to a complaint at any time. Anonymous reports are not permitted, and all complaints must be safety related.

Those safeguards haven't stopped some members of Congress from calling for restrictions on reporting to the database, or industry groups from arguing that the site will include inaccurate claims and place too big a burden on manufacturers.

Consumers Union believes that the safeguards built into the system will prevent such abuses and that the new database will make consumers better informed and, ultimately, safer.