CPSC Signs MOU With Agencies in Mexico, Canada

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and similar agencies in Canada and Mexico "formalized their cooperative relationship through the ratification of a trilateral memorandum of understanding," the CPSC said in a Feb. 22 news release. "The MOU is intended to memorialize cooperative efforts already underway, as well as to facilitate future joint activities,” CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle said. Goods "produced in North America or imported from outside, to any of the three countries, may easily find their way into another partner’s jurisdiction through our extensive shared borders," the CSPC said. "The MOU will facilitate better regulatory cooperation and technical exchanges among product safety authorities to share best practices and improve the potential for alignment of requirements at high levels of safety. For example, a recent project by the three agencies analyzed and recommended testing solutions for unaddressed hazards from wall outlet chargers for small electronic products -- an initiative that will be expanded under the MOU to include other product areas for aligning approaches to safety."