CPSC Announces Appointment of Agency's New Consumer Ombudsman

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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Jun 12, 2020, 14:50 ET

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2020/CPSC-Announces-Appointment-of-Agencys-New-Consumer-Ombudsman

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing the appointment of Dr. Jonathan Midgett as its Consumer Ombudsman. This new position was created by the Commission to give consumers a greater voice and understanding of the agency and its activities.

The Consumer Ombudsman serves as a resource for consumers, consumer advocacy organizations, victims, victim-advocates and other non-regulated stakeholders as they interact with CPSC.

CPSC's Consumer Ombudsman's mission is to:

Provide an agency perspective to consumers and a consumer perspective to the agency;
Explain agency processes, procedures, scientific principles and technical information to consumers in plain language;
Ensure that consumer voices are represented within agency processes;
Serve as an educator and advisor for individual consumers and consumer organizations; and
Build relationships with consumers to enhance consumer engagement and the agency's mission.

Dr. Midgett has long advocated on behalf of consumers at CPSC, with a special focus on child safety. He joined CPSC in 2001 as a human factors engineer working on toys and juvenile products. In 2005, he became the Children's Hazards Team leader where he worked on voluntary standards and rulemaking. In 2014, he joined former Chairman Elliot Kaye's staff as a science and policy advisor.

CPSC's Consumer Ombudsman can be reached by emailing [email protected], by phone at 301-504-8120 or questions can be submitted at https://www.cpsc.gov/About-CPSC/Consumer-Ombudsman.

The new Consumer Ombudsman position will build on the success of the agency's Small Business Ombudsman (SBO). CPSC's SBO has been in place since 2011 and was created to help small businesses understand the agency and navigate product safety regulations. Small business can reach the agency's SBO by emailing [email protected], by phone at 800-531-9070 or 301-504-7945, or can submit a question online at https://www.cpsc.gov/About-CPSC/Contact-Information/Contact-Specific-Offices-and-Public-Information/Small-Business-Ombudsman.

About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.

For lifesaving information:

Visit CPSC.gov.
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Follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC.
Report a dangerous product or a product-related injury on www.SaferProducts.gov.
Call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054).
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