How to Optimize Your Product Safety Compliance Program

How to Optimize Your Product Safety Compliance Program

by | Apr 25, 2023 | Insights

Regarding product safety, it is essential to stay ahead of the curve, and companies are often faced with the decision of how often to optimize their compliance program. Companies may ask themselves why they should change their existing program if it works. However, the real question should be: have I audited my program recently?

Not having a robust product safety compliance program can be risky if you are a business owner, executive, or Amazon Seller. Without proper policies in place, you could be putting your customers, employees, and brand reputation at risk. Consumers expect products to function correctly and meet specific safety standards in today’s market. Failing to comply with these standards can lead to costly lawsuits and damage your brand’s reputation. Amazon Sellers have seen increased compliance requests to approve a product, including instructions, warnings, labeling, and registration cards. Submitting these items will get your approval, but can you show proof of compliance to new retailers that need to see these policies and processes to ensure you deliver a safe product with each new shipment? More than having the documents is required, as all major retailers seek proof that you know what you are doing and have systems and training for your employees and contractors. Compare the Vendor qualification for Target in 2020 to today; you can now see the inclusion of a Quality Program Assessment and a Factory Assessment, and vendors are expected to employ best practices and well-documented manufacturing and GMP processes. Part of this results from being unable to visit your suppliers, but the other part is that good quality practices result in compliant products with fewer returns and chargebacks. But policies are part of the program as you also need staff training and process for record keeping. Your ideal compliance program will have all the components for identifying, capturing, and storing all company data, not just for Retailer qualification but in the event you would need to file a 15B report with the CPSC. Have you updated your program recently to identify and record where this data exists should you need to access it quickly? You also need a retention plan to back up this data should you migrate to a new system.

Compliance Program
Adjust your Program to Changing Requirements

A product safety compliance program is essential for any business that produces or sells physical goods. The program should include policies that ensure all products meet mandatory requirements set by regulatory agencies, such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). It should also involve regular testing and documentation of each product’s performance and any necessary changes to meet the standard. Having proof of compliance can protect your business from liability claims if an injury occurs due to a faulty product. You should document all your steps, from the product’s design to delivery to the consumer. Your obligation does not stop with the sale. You also need an incident reporting policy and escalation program to satisfy the CPSC’s duty to report once you are notified of an incident while using your product. An incident can be reported to you via your customer service CRM system; it can come from a retailer or Amazon or be submitted to the Saferproducts.gov website. If you have a reportable incident and it is determined you need a recall, you should have a plan to prepare for this worst-case scenario. Amazon does not yet require a recall plan but has been discussing with the CPSC how they would handle recalls on their platform should one be needed.

Major retailers always ask about your recall plans, and having one can save you money on your product liability insurance. Today, many are now asking about how you are integrating ESG into your product safety program. ESG stands for “Environmental, Social, and Governance.” It can be described as a set of practices (policies, procedures, metrics, etc.) that organizations implement to limit negative or enhance positive impacts on the environment, society, and governance. Do you have the capability to add these items to your program in an integral way to meet these current and future requirements? Are you aware of new technology solutions that enable you to scale your program quickly and are more cost-effective than building or piecing together several systems?

We built Comply PRO+ for you to have an out-of-the-box platform to securely build your compliance program to show seller proof of compliance when entering new markets and sales channels. Post covid, more people are working remotely. Comply PRO+ is built on Amazon Web Services and is accessible anywhere there is an internet connection. We use 2-factor Authentication to secure your login and password so no unauthorized users are on your account. You still need to craft the policies and procedures to align with how you operate your business, but you do not need to spend time and money connecting several systems to capture the data you need for a robust program. If you haven’t done so in a while, audit your current program to see if it has the features you need to sell products in multiple sales channels and markets today and for what lies ahead tomorrow.

Compare these features to your current program…

1. Accessible anywhere

2. Secure platform with secure 2 Factor Authentication

3. Real-time Pro Dash Dashboard – Add dimension to your program with live stats.

4. Customizable Roles for Executives, Compliance Managers, Team Members, Employees, Consultants, and Authorized Representatives

5. Scheduler and Activities Calendar with Task Assignment

6. Incident Reporting on the Product Level

7. Policy and SOP Document Library

8. Licensed Products Tracking

9. Product Type Views

10. Where Products Sold by Country Map

11. Sales Channel Stats and Vendor Management

12. CPSIA Ready Live View for Children’s Products

13. Supplier Stats and  Policy Reviews for Each 

14. Supplier Audits with Sales Channel Tracking

15. Product Family Feature for uploading one document to many

16. Technical File Product folders format for selling globally

17. Custom Fields on the Product Page to fit your products and capture new ESG requirements.

18. Hide and or Create Custom Folders I

19. Test Lab Stats and Management

20. Test Report Expiration Reminder with Email Alerts

21. Test Plan Section

22. Production Runs / Batch Tracking

23. Shipping Details & Tracking

24. Quality & Inspection Tracking

25. Certificate Management

26. Authorized Representative Access ( for E.U. & U.K.)

27. Ez Uploader makes onboarding a breeze; be up and running quickly.

28. Extensive How to Knowledge Base

29. Great Customer Service

30. Coming Soon…. CO. Comply company branded microsite for employee training!

If you are happy with your current program but need to optimize it and add a 3rd dimension, we have the solution for you.

Complete Compliance with An Eye On Business Transformation™ 

Comply PRO+ is the most ergonomic, economical, and comprehensive product safety compliance suite for managing your compliance program. It offers an easy-to-use system that can help you document “Due Care” from design to delivery while providing data-driven insights to ensure effective compliance processes. With its intuitive dashboard and automated alerts, you can quickly audit your compliance program and manage all compliance and sales channel activities from one screen. Schedule a Demo today, so we can show you this revolutionary system and get an additional user FREE when you sign up.

Scaling Your Compliance Program to Enter New Sales Channels

Scaling Your Compliance Program to Enter New Sales Channels

by | Apr 22, 2023 | Insights

Be Trade Show Sales Ready

Whether you are a manufacturer or Amazon Seller, product safety compliance is essential for any business selling products in today’s competitive markets. A comprehensive product safety compliance program can help protect brands, reduce liabilities, and expand sales channels. Companies must understand their product safety obligations and have the right program to ensure compliance with regulations and retailer requirements.

If you are an Amazon Seller, you may think that by using the manage your compliance dashboard, you would have everything you need to follow Amazon’s policies to manage compliance. Amazon states that you must still follow the laws, regulations, and standards.  While their tool will guide you through submitting the necessary proof of compliance for your product category, do you have a program in-house to document these same policies and requirements for other retailers? More importantly, do you have all the other items that constitute a compliance program? Anyone wanting to enter new markets or sell with a major retailer is soon asked to provide proof of compliance with specific policies and evidence of training to ensure you consistently make and deliver safe products. You will find this out quickly if you want to sell at Target or Walmart. This is why it I important for you to build a robust compliance program, no matter how small your company, so that it can scale with you when you grow.

The CPSC not only expects companies to have effective compliance programs in place but to be able to document these processes properly. To build a compliance program that scales with your growth, you should, at a minimum, have the following:

Commitment to Compliance 

Recognize that your compliance program is dynamic, involving not only multiple policies, procedures, and manufacturing activities but also the commitment of senior management and the support of all employees, contractors, vendors, and agents to make the program effective.

Assignment of a Compliance Manager or Officer 

Appoint someone to handle all compliance-related activities; design an escalation policy to show everyone where to go with issues, concerns, or how to report undue influence by publishing contact details and instructions on how to report.

Written Policies 

A policy is essential to any compliance program as it establishes the company’s commitment to providing safe products. It outlines the procedures for ensuring all employees follow established testing, labeling, packaging, and distribution protocols. SOPs are detailed instructions on performing various tasks correctly; they help ensure consistency in product development and provide clear guidance for employees. If you sell children’s Products, you will need a material change and undue influence policy with training. Everyone should have an Incident reporting and escalation policy and a recall plan.

Effective Lines of Communication 

Establish a dialogue between management and employees so that when seeking answers to questions or reporting potential violations of law or policies, employees or contractors know whom to turn to for a meaningful response and do so without fear of retribution. 

Education and Training

Training is crucial in promoting compliance as it ensures employees understand the importance of adhering to safety standards. It should be mandatory for all staff involved in product design, testing, production, marketing, or distribution.

Auditing and Monitoring 

Audit your program at least once a year to evaluate the effectiveness of your program and consider pending changes to regulatory or retailer requirements. Doing so lets you determine if gaps in your current system need addressing.

Documentation and Record-keeping

Documentation should begin during the product design phase and include all third-party certification testing, testing of representative samples, material changes, corrective actions, training materials, and training records. Document the work you have done toward complying with the CPSC’s requirements and adhering to the regulations for your products. In the event of a product recall, this documentation will enable you to show the CPSC  in helping understand what may have gone wrong to ensure future product safety and compliance. Retention policies should be set to maintain records for each market where you sell. In the U.S., the manufacturer must keep these records for five years, either in hard copy or electronically, such as a website or Framework like Comply PRO+.

A robust compliance program will protect consumers and businesses by reducing their liability when implemented correctly. Additionally, companies should leverage technology to automate processes and ensure all stakeholders are on the same page. The days of having policies in binders where no one can access them are over, and in the post-Covid world of remote work, they need to be accessible to everyone in your organization.

Comply PRO+ was built for Compliance Managers, Executives, and Business Owners. Schedule a Demo today to see how you can quickly build, manage and audit your compliance program to reduce risk and enter new sales channels and markets.

Why every Company Should Register with Safer Products.gov

Why every Company Should Register with Safer Products.gov

by | Mar 10, 2023 | Insights

Monitor and Respond to Reports

SaferProducts.gov is where the public can file and read complaints about thousands of consumer products. The CPSC collects reports of harm or potential harm about dangerous or potentially unsafe consumer products. Each report is reviewed by the CPSC staff of investigators and consumer product safety experts to determine what actions should be taken to protect the American public. A report can provide information that may contribute to CPSC’s decision to seek a product recall, seek penalties against any person or firm, or create new safety regulations or take other action authorized by law. Companies should be prepared to respond to reports of harm posted on saferproducts.gov.  A best practice is to appoint a leader or the compliance manager to develop internal escalation procedures to gather customer incidents through company customer service representatives so that management can respond to all incident reports and escalate such incidents to determine whether a § 15(b) report is necessary.

After Registering, most businesses can receive notification of reports of harm on saferproducts.gov within the ten business days allotted by the CPSC, either on the website or offline with the CPSC.  By acknowledging a report of harm and stating that an investigation is underway, companies can preclude CPSC from taking action until the relevant facts have been thoroughly investigated.  As the investigation proceeds and more information becomes available, companies also can supplement their responses.  Some of the most effective actions in response to reports of harm posted on saferproducts.gov have included:

·       Responding within ten business days, regardless of whether the report has been investigated fully

·       Noting an investigation has just begun and will be supplemented promptly as additional information becomes available

·       Supplementing responses promptly and regularly as more information becomes known

·       Advising consumers to contact customer service and/or provide the company with the product for inspection of the reported harm

·       Communicating directly with the CPSC separately and offline instead of on the public website

·       Posting nothing online if the consumer has already contacted the company about the incident but advising the CPSC of this fact offline and promptly

·       Stressing that all complaints are taken seriously and that the company seeks to investigate them to the fullest extent possible

·       Where applicable, stating that the consumer failed to provide contact information or the product for inspection, which prevents the company from responding completely

·       Confirming that the product recently was subjected to rigorous third-party, expert, or other testing and analysis and that no problems were found

·       Explaining that the product is safe when used correctly (e.g., according to instructions and warnings)

 NOTE: Take time to craft any responses on the safer products site and do not be condescending, infer that the consumer is wrong, etc., as consumers look to see how your company responds to safety or quality issues. Best to have the response reviewed internally before posting.

If you still need to do so, please search for your company products on safer products.gov and regularly monitor the site so you can promptly respond to any reports.  Search for unsafe products. 

Comply PRO+ encourages company registration, and you can sign up right from the SaferProducts.gov section in settings.