PPB October 2016

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year has seen the IKEA dresser
recall of more than 30million
units, a record-setting recall by
number of units. Beyond these
headline-grabbing events, the
commission has also pressed
forward on a host of other safety
issues, fromcordedwindow-
blind coverings to high-powered
magnet desk sets and crumb
rubber, among others.These issues
may have an impact on your life
professionally and personally.
Your Actions Matter
While the new president’s
selection of a new chairman will
have a big effect, that selection
is really only the beginning of
how the CPSCwill continue to
influence your business in the
years to come. While your vote
matters, your actions matter more.
While the commission is
technically an independent
regulatory agency, the reality
of the commission’s decisions
over the past several years
is that the five votes usually
follow party lines, and often
reflect deep philosophic policy
differences about the role of
a federal regulator in society
and business. Just as you see
in Congress, the Republican
members of the commission
typically favor fewer new
regulations than the Democrats.
But it is not always that simple.
And since citizens do not vote
directly for commissioners
(remember, they are appointed
by the president), it is critical
that the industry meet with
commissioners from both parties
to educate them about issues
important to our industry.
Leaders in the promotional
product industry have long
recognized the importance that
Tune In And Turn Up Your
Expertise In Product Safety
PRODUCT SAFETY AND TECHNOLOGY
Lithium Ion Batteries
Wednesday, October 12, 2016, 1 pm CT
Speaker: LaTanya Schwalb, senior project
engineer at UL, LLC.
Webinar Overview: This course will address
the critical need for safety and certification
when sourcing lithium batteries. Learn what
you need to look out for to keep you and
your channel partners on the right side
of compliance.
TECHNOLOGY
What You Must Know For Selling
Promotional Tech Products
Wednesday, October 26, 1 pm CT
Speaker: LaTanya Schwalb, senior project
engineer at UL, LLC.
Webinar Overview: Tech products are one
of the industry’s hottest product categories,
but what do you really know about sourcing
them? Here you will learn about the critical
need for safety and certification when
sourcing technology products.
TECHNOLOGY
What Power Bank Standard
2056 Means To Your Business
Wednesday, November 9, 2016, 1 pm CT
Speaker: Anne Stone, director of public
affairs for PPAI.
Webinar Overview: UL 2056 is a new
product safety standard for power banks
that was developed to protect consumers
from physical harm and property damage.
Manufacturers, industry suppliers and
distributors must be aware of the standards
and what their obligations are under the
law in order to avoid expensive recalls
and damage to brand reputations. This
advanced session will dive deep into the
intricacies of UL 2056 and provide steps
for what industry members need to do to
ensure compliance.
Free to PPAI members and nonmembers
Register at and click on
Education and E-Learning
the government can have on
the industry’s bottom line.This
recognition, and a desire to protect
its customers, led PPAI leadership
to create PPAI’s Product Safety
Aware initiative and to invest in its
Product Responsibility Summit
and other activities. PPAI’s leaders
have cast a smart bet that a
proactive approach in our industry
will also serve the industry’s
interests inWashington, D.C.,
and across the nation by avoiding
troubling issues in the first place
and by keeping controversy
far away from the promotional
products business.
PPAI and its members conduct
an annual fly-in toWashington,
D.C., to educate congressional
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