CPSC -- One Year Stay!

NEWS from CPSC


CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans.

Significant to makers of children’s products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers – large and small – of children’s products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.

The decision by the Commission gives the staff more time to finalize four proposed rules which could relieve certain materials and products from lead testing and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted.

The stay will remain in effect until February 10, 2010, at which time a Commission vote will be taken to terminate the stay.

The stay does not apply to:

Four requirements for third-party testing and certification of certain children’s products subject to:
The ban on lead in paint and other surface coatings effective for products made after December 21, 2008;
The standards for full-size and non full-size cribs and pacifiers effective for products made after January 20, 2009;
The ban on small parts effective for products made after February 15, 2009; and
The limits on lead content of metal components of children’s jewelry effective for products made after March 23, 2009.
Certification requirements applicable to ATV’s manufactured after April 13, 2009.
Pre-CPSIA testing and certification requirements, including for: automatic residential garage door openers, bike helmets, candles with metal core wicks, lawnmowers, lighters, mattresses, and swimming pool slides; and
Pool drain cover requirements of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act.
The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA.

Handmade garment makers are cautioned to know whether the zippers, buttons and other fasteners they are using contain lead. Likewise, handmade toy manufacturers need to know whether their products, if using plastic or soft flexible vinyl, contain phthalates.

The stay of enforcement on testing and certification does not address thrift and second hand stores and small retailers because they are not required to test and certify products under the CPSIA. The products they sell, including those in inventory on February 10, 2009, must not contain more than 600 ppm lead in any accessible part. The Commission is aware that it is difficult to know whether a product meets the lead standard without testing and has issued guidance for these companies that can be found on our web site.

Cake anyone?

i got this in an email from my friend Chris Burgess: the text says:

Everything you see below are entries in a cake decorating contest held in Russia .
Everything included must be edible.
The sewing machine and other items may look real,
but they are simply made of cake, frosting, and candy.

Our Secret

In case you were wondering what this is all about:
This is the prom dress charity that needs ASG volunteer help to alter dresses. We do minor alterations like hems and tucks (no letting out!). Last year we had only three ASG members and we really need more. We worked approximately from 10-3pm on a
Saturday.

With this shrinking economy and rampant job losses, this charity is needed more than ever as many families just will not have money for a prom dress in their budget. I predict the event will be mobbed. Most of the young women are referred by the guidance counselors in the local high schools.

If you would like to participate, give Jennifer Woodburn a call or email her as she will organize us. jbrwoodburn@hotmail.com

We will have to probably be there around 9:30 (tentative-- Jennifer will confirm)
We will have to bring our sewing machines/sergers. I found that last year I used my serger a lot to do rolled hems. If you have one and bring it, don't forget some extra needles, just in case.

Notions-- like thread, scissors, pins, rotary cutters, extra hooks/snaps, hand needle, etc. Someone (jennifer or Sherri) brought a plastic bin full of different threads but again, I defer to Jennifer's planning and organization. She will most likely assign us specific equipment to bring (iron/iron board, etc.).

Below is the letter from Melody Arnold who is the founder of "Our Secret" and has the vision to help young women get a dress for the ball:

Dear Friends,

Our event has been scheduled for 3/22/08. We are able to set up the evening before. We are in need of volunteers!!!

You can visit our web page Our Secret Charity for updated information on our charity.

To find our web page you can also Google “Our Secret Charity”

Thanks for your support!

Please let me know if you are able to volunteer for the event or set up. We also need volunteers to help transport the dresses from our old location to our new storage facility. This will need to be on a week day and before the 5pm. If you are available to help with this, or the event… please let me know.


Melody Arnold
Infection Control RN
Restorative Nursing Program RN
(315) 703-0750 or x 418
FAX 315-703-0753

Anderson Sewing School

I went to the open house on Sunday for the Anderson Sewing School. Barbara has organized classes for the next two months and the classes will continue to be scheduled in two month cycles until Summer.

She has gathered an impressive group of instructors. Some names will be very familiar-- Barbara Peterson, Tanaya Thomas, Dorita Reyen, Pat Henry, Valerie Schadt, Delbra Miller, and Rhea Parks will be teaching classes that cover almost every age group and type of sewing.

The message on her handout says:

"Greetings everyone. Winter has arrived. Living in the Central New York area, seems we just cannot escape Old Man Winter. Sew, we may as well make the best of it.

Here at Peterson Sewing School we will do our part by offering up some scrumptious sewing classes and workshops for the months of January and February.

Some of our new classes include: Beginning Knitting, Beginning Smocking, Fashionista club for kids (teens), Make Your Own Prom Dress or Evening Gown and sew much more!

We have a talented and gifted team of instructors who are excited about sharing their skills and talents with you.

Come join us for some fun, fashion and sewing.

Barbara Peterson

You can reach her at 315-446-4668
Classes are located on the corner of Euclid and Westcott Streets (920 Euclid Ave) in the Erwin First United Methodist Church which is across the street from ECHO.

On Thursdays there is a "Sit and Sew Cafe" 9am to 12 pm. so come on in and check out their course roster and register for a good class. I know I am interested in some pants sloper classes and a techniques class. There is truly something for everyone.

Remembrance Flag

I received this picture from MJ Uttech of the Cortland Neighborhood Group


She says:" These are the sewing group members who made the flag quilt for the family of SP4 Shawn Falter (Homer, NY) who was killed in Iraq in February 2007. It took us a year to make it. We presented it to the family on the anniversary of Shawn's death. They were very touched by our remembering him with this quilt. All of the quilters work in the Cortland County Health Department."

And I get to meet them this week!

Kathy

Hello fellow sewers – I thought I’d drop in and give you my two needles worth of hello’s. I’m new to Blogging – so I’m going to apologize right up front for any mistakes I may make. Sewing is a wonderful and beautiful thing. Its enjoyable, creative, exciting and relaxing – Blogging is Scary – But I’m going to give it a whorl and see how it goes.
Thanks to my friend Lucelu, I now have attempted to bridge this scary thing and acutely give it a try. Without her help I would have never ventured this far (mainly cause I can’t make my way through the maze of a computer). But now the process is done and whelp I’m here. I look forward to hearing what exciting things you are making and doing & possible taking on a few of those challenges myself (given enough time and opportunity to create a challenge of my own). After all if there is a needle and thread out there somewhere there is a machine to put them and a sample of material to place together – the creativity is up to you! Now that’s where the fun begins J
Anyways, thought I’d drop in on those of you whom Blogg (and have the courage to do so) to attempt this new age form of communication for myself. Happy Sewing to All in this New Year.
Sodapop

New Law puts Children's wear producers out of business

Please read this letter from Kathleen Fasanella. She writes and maintains fashionincubator.com and is very knowledgeable as well has generous with her time, talent and wisdom in respect to entrepreneurs in the fashion industry as well as with home sew-ers.

Dear Friends
There is a grave crisis in the industry and I haven't been here much lately because of it.

You know me. Yes I can rub people the wrong way but I'm not a kook, alarmist, extremist or conspiracy theorist. What I'm going to tell you is all too true. In a nutshell, as of 2/10/2009, National Bankruptcy Day it will be illegal to sell most products intended for children 12 and younger unless you undergo expensive product testing to certify your products as safe. There are no exemptions or exceptions. This includes wahm or grandmas making items for bazaars, craft shows, etsy, ebay, or just person to person sales. As of February 10, 2009 anything without a General Conformity Certificate is legally considered Banned Hazardous Material.

I have been at the forefront of this fight. I went to Washington DC week before last for a meeting with the biggest brands in the business and if they're scared, you should be too. Contrary to what many people may think, large brands are hurt worse. Small businesses do have some options that large ones don't but this is little consolation if you're small to start with.

Please read up on the topic (list of entries at close). Most of what you'll find on the web relates to toys but this affects clothes, bikes, games, jewelry, uniforms (even boy and girl scout patches!) materials used in science classes in schools, school supplies, books, video games, infant car seats, strollers etc. For example, one of the largest suppliers of science equipment to schools says he can no longer sell telescopes. It will cost $24,000 to test each one. This is not hyperbole or exaggeration. His statements to the CPSC and the estimate from the testing lab are right here.

What you can do:
First, I've opened a section of my private forum to the public. We are calling this the War Room for focused activism.

From this site, you can email all of your legislators by filling out one simple form.

Sign the petition.

Here you can find a lot of email addresses of legislators and CPSC folks to copy and paste into your email program.

The key problems are (for our purposes) clothing doesn't have lead in it but we have to test it for lead anyway. Previously we could use testing results from fabric suppliers to prove for example, flammability. This is not permitted for lead.

Second, excessive testing. Before you could test your components (fabric, zippers, elastics etc) separately since that's what goes into each item. Sure that is costly but it's worse because this is no longer permitted either. Now you have to have one of each completed unit (dress etc) tested. If you're only making one of a kind, you'll have to produce a completed sample garment for testing.

Third, there aren't enough labs. Assuming you had the money ($480-$980 per tested unit), you are only allowed to use a CPSC certified facility. Assuming there was (previously) equilibrium in the market btwn testing labs and the demand for services...well, with a multi-thousandfold increase in the demand for services, they aren't enough labs. Iow, even if you had the time and money, there aren't enough labs to do the testing.

This is the really sad part. Most of the small producers out there got into the business BECAUSE they were concerned about safety. They're using 100% organic materials, no chemicals and food grade finishes (on their toys). This law will put the very artisans who make the best products out of business. The people we want to stay in business and wish everyone made products like they do.

Entries from my site:
Safety Regulations that affect ALL children's manufacturers
National Bankruptcy Day
Unit vs Component Testing
What must be tested
Confusion run amok
Splintering serves no one
CPSIA and small manufacturers

Anyway, I appreciate your time in reading this message and I hope you will join us. If you're a consumer, I recommend buying your gifts for the year very soon. The big stores will be returning non compliant products by mid January in advance of the cut off date so be sure to do any purchasing by then.