The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is a U.S. government agency that protects the American public from products that may present safety hazards. Oftentimes affectionately referred to as the “toy police,” CPSC and its investigators focus on consumer items that pose an unreasonable risk of fire, chemical exposure, electrical malfunction, or mechanical failure.

CPSC’s Office of Import Surveillance (EXIS) has an especially significant role in the importation of products into the U.S. EXIS investigators are co-located with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at ports of entry around the country. Together, they work to identify and examine imported shipments of consumer products.

Recently, CPSC announced their participation in One U.S. Government Notification Messaging at Import (1USG). For products identified as of-interest to CPSC, filers will receive status notifications directly from CPSC. The change is intended to facilitate real-time, transparent communications among all parties in the shipping process.

CPSC’s 1USG Messaging Notification participation will begin in September 2020. Filers can expect to receive messages directly from the agency regarding their merchandise, such as “Under Review” or “Hold Intact.” Products of interest include toys, cribs, fireworks, mattresses, and much more. While CPSC does not release a list of HTS codes of-interest, you can find safety standards for a variety of products in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

You can find more information and FAQs from CPSC here.

Trans-Border will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed of any new developments. If you have any questions, please reach out to Bill Carey, Import Compliance Manager, at bcarey@tbgfs.com or (800) 493-9444.