Canada, Mexico, US Agencies Unite on Charging Safety Recommendations

Three product safety agencies of North America -- the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Health Canada, and the Consumer Protection Federal Agency of Mexico -- jointly developed consensus recommendations to improve test methods for ensuring the safety of AC and USB chargers, said the CPSC Thursday. In trilateral letters to the standards development organizations in the three countries, the agencies recommended new testing to assess potential fire and burn hazards caused by AC and USB chargers for small electronic devices. The effort is the first example of a joint consumer product safety standard recommendation developed among multiple governments that aren’t members of a single administrative region, they said. Goal of the multiyear project is to foster closer alignment of consumer product safety requirements through technical consultations and seek consensus approaches to consumer product hazards not yet being addressed through formal regulatory or standards work, they said. In joint letters to U.S.-based Underwriters Laboratories, Canada-based CSA Group and the Mexican government’s Directorate General of Standards, staff cited numerous incidents of injuries: burns from contact with hot surfaces on an electronic device, or the charger itself; fires and explosions that initiated within the charger, or in one of the cords attached to the charger; and electric shock injuries from user-contact with an exposed energized conductor when the charger housing is breached by melting, or when the housing breaks apart. Incidents also included lithium-ion battery fires as a result of improper charging. The letters noted that incidents are more prevalent when an AC charger or USB charger hasn't been evaluated and certified by a third-party testing facility. The team examined incident data and analyzed existing voluntary standards before proposing new testing procedures and requesting that standards developers add the tests to their current standards. The initiative proved multiple jurisdictions “can develop consensus recommendations to improve voluntary safety standards, if they consult early and compare data and experience,” said CPSC acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. A second round of the Early Consultation Initiative will be underway this year, she said.