How do you know if the baby stroller, children's toy, household cleaner or other consumer product you just bought is safe to use?
You could file a Freedom of Information Act request for product safety reports with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and then wait for the federal government to respond.
But it can take some time for those requests to be answered. And even then there's a good chance the Consumer Product Safety Commission won't grant your request, given that such information is almost never released without approval from manufacturers.
For those unwilling or unable to wait for that information, here's a bit of good news: The federal government is creating a publicly accessible, searchable online database of consumer product safety reports.
The website, SaferProducts.gov, will begin posting product safety reports beginning in 2011.
Mandated Under Product Safety Law
The creation of an online product safety database is required under the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
The law gave the Consumer Product Safety Commission broad new powers to protect Americans. It outlawed the sale of recalled products, set strict limits on the amont of lead allowed in paint, and banned certain chemicals in children's toys and other products.
The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act requires the government to begin posting consumer complaints about potentially dangerous products in March 2011.
What You Will Find on Product Safety Website
The Consumer Product Safety Commission will post reports of harm it receives from consumers through SaferProducts.gov. It will also include responses from manufacturers.
Users of the website will be able to search for product safety complaints by the name or type of product. They will also be able to post, anonymously, their own comments about products they have used.
Manufacturers and business groups opposed such a provision in the database, saying it would lead to false complaints about their products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said it would not verify each complaint posted on the website because it does not have the manpower to do so.
But in a statement, Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairwoman Inez M. Tenenbaum said the online database will "provide the public access to critical product safety information."