CPSC met a large majority of the 188 specific goals it set for fiscal 2012, according to its 2012 Performance and Accountability Report made available November 20. The specific goals are the targeted objectives that fall under five broader, strategic aims: leadership in safety, commitment to prevention, rigorous hazard identification, decisive response, and raising awareness.
Of the 188 specific goals for the year that ended September 30, CPSC did not meet 12 and deemed the results of two to be “not applicable.” Those numbers mean that about 7.4% of goals did not get the “met” label. CPSC’s 12 unmet goals included:
- Beijing Office: CPSC met five goals of its international engagement plan, but operations of the Beijing office “were significantly curtailed” when the regional product safety officer resigned in April. CPSC said it will update that goal for 2013 after it hires a replacement.
- Nanotechnology: A report of products that contain nanomaterials was delayed by the late delivery of contractor reports on commercialization. Staff is aiming to complete the report in the first quarter of fiscal 2012.
- Section 104 Switches: The briefing packages for bedside sleepers, handheld carriers, and infant hammocks were delayed due to reallocation of staff resources due to “other statutory deadlines.” The commission received briefing packages for the first two, respectively in October and November, and staff presented those to the commission in November (PSL, 11/19/12, p. 1). The hammock package is slated for completion in 2013.
- Nursery Products Survey: CPSC staffers were unable to conduct an exposure survey as part of the CPSIA goal to evaluate existing standards for possible mandatory action. Staff “anticipates survey rollout in early 2013.”
- Saferproducts.gov Triage: Work on a targeting system for prioritizing incident reports for agency action was deferred for higher priority work. CPSC now aims for 2015.
- Saferproduct.gov Notification: CPSC’s goal is to notify named companies within five business days 95% of the time. It did so 94%. It explained that two notifications were delayed for “a day or more due to system problems.” The agency suggested that the near miss on this goal means staffers are likely to meet it in in fiscal 2013.
- IDI Turnaround: CPSC’s goal is to send completed in depth investigations (IDI) reports to manufacturers within 25 days 75% of the time. It did so 49% of the time. According to the performance report, referring to the need to redact personally identifiable or similar information, “the internal time-related goal was sacrificed due to competing demands for limited resources.” The average for delivering the redacted IDIs was 30 days. Two summer interns helped the agency to eliminate the backlog.
- Race and Ethnic Data in NEISS Reports: CPSC’s goal is for 100% of reports subject to its follow up questionnaires to contain such data. It did so in 82% of cases. It noted that the figure was an improvement over 64% the year earlier, so it set the 100% goal for 2013.
- Alternate Drug Delivery Poisoning: Unanticipated work on magnets and battery ingestions meant agency staff did not complete a report on unintentional pediatric poisonings associated with devices like medical patches. The agency said the report will be complete in 2013.
- Website Visits: There was a 6% decline from 2011 to 2012 in visits to the agency’s primary site (cpsc.gov), so the agency did not meet its goal of 55 million visits. However the report noted substantial increases for the agency’s other sites: saferproducts.gov (134%), poolsafety.gov (33%), and atvsafety.gov (25%).
- Awareness Surveys: Staff changes at CPSC and at a contractor delayed surveys to assess consumer awareness of CPSC and its work. The first survey now is due mid-2013.
- ATV Safety Summit: The event did not occur until October, the first month of fiscal 2013.
The two “not applicable” goals were:
- Pool Grants: There was no need to issue a report on the grant program under the Virginia Graeme Baker pool law because “It appears that there were no eligible jurisdictions with legislation that incorporates all of the entrapment prevention and barrier requirements” needed for eligibility. CPSC wrote that proposed changes to the eligibility provisions might allow some jurisdictions to apply.
- Tracking Label Alternatives: According to the performance report, “CPSC staff did not receive direction from the Commission to initiate rulemaking on the possible exclusion of, or establishment of, alternative requirements for specific products or classes of products from the tracking label requirements” of the 2011 CPSIA amendments.
Find the performance report – which includes details on the 174 specific goals that the agency did meet – at www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/REPORTS/2012par.pdf.
