Did you hear?…Recap of SGMA conference call on product safety law FREE to SNEWS subscribers

A paper summarizing the topics discussed in an SGMA-sponsored call on Sept. 11 on the new consumer product safety improvement act is now available at no charge to SNEWS® Full Access subscribers.

The benefit to take part in the call, normally only open to SGMA members, was offered to SNEWS Full Access subscribers and will be one of several calls and other benefits offered through the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. For example, a call on Oct. 27 will talk about the upcoming elections and possible impacts on the fitness and sports industry, as well as calls that will be scheduled after the election. SNEWS will carry announcements of these events as well as passcodes to register or other information.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was enacted in mid-August and, with its sudden signing into law by President Bush, questions arose for the industry. Those included:

>> What is a toy and what is a sporting good?

>> What will the difference in enforcement be between this and state laws?

>> What are the specifics standards testing labs will use?

>> How do requirements differ between the United States and the European Union, for example?

“There are still gray areas on the applicability of the new laws regarding fitness products,” said Bill Sells, SGMA’s vice president for government relations. The Consumer Product Safety Commission “in the process of clarifying the scope of these laws. If your company manufactures products used in PE classes or outside of PE by kids 12 years old or less, you need to be vigilant and keep abreast of the issue until the new law is fully defined.”



There are a number of important pending deadlines associated with the new act, particularly involving phthalates and lead content, as well as with third-party testing and certification standards.

For a free copy of the report available as a SNEWS subscriber benefit, email SGMA’s Lauren Wallace at lwallace@sgma.com. Reference the passcode “SGMA-SNEWS-productsafety” and note you are a SNEWS Full Access subscriber. She will email you a PDF copy of the report.