Consumer Product Safety Commission

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Open Recommendations (4 total)

Consumer Product Safety Commission: Action Needed to Improve Preparedness for Product Examination Disruptions

GAO-23-105445
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Consumer Product Safety Commission The Chairman of CPSC should finalize the agency's continuity of operations plan, including conducting and incorporating an underlying risk assessment consistent with Federal Continuity Directive 1. The risk assessment should incorporate port-specific factors that could affect the agency's import surveillance function. (Recommendation 1)
Open – Partially Addressed

 Actions that partially satisfy the intent of the recommendation have been taken.
On February 24, 2023 CPSC provided GAO with an updated and finalized continuity of operations plan. However, the plan did not include the underlying documentation GAO cited in the recommendation. For example, underlying documentation would include the risk assessment so that we can determine if it is consistent with Federal Continuity Directive 1 and that it includes port-specific factors that could affect CPSC's import surveillance function. GAO requested the supporting documentation in March 2023.
Consumer Product Safety Commission The Chairman of CPSC should perform the required analysis identified in Federal Continuity Directives 1 and 2 to support and determine the designation of essential functions within the agency. (Recommendation 2)
Open – Partially Addressed

 Actions that partially satisfy the intent of the recommendation have been taken.
On February 24, 2023 CPSC provided GAO with an updated and finalized continuity of operations plan. The plan included the designation of essential functions and mentioned that underlying analysis was conducted. However, the plan did not include the actual underlying analysis GAO cited in the recommendation. For example, the plan did not include the analysis of mission essential functions, business process analysis, and business impact analysis, so that we could determine if the designation of essential functions was consistent with Federal Continuity Directives 1 and 2. GAO requested the supporting documentation in March 2023.

Consumer Product Safety Commission: Action Needed to Improve Preparedness for Product Examination Disruptions

GAO-23-105445
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Consumer Product Safety Commission The Chairman of CPSC should fully develop and implement actionable steps and set specific milestones for complying with section 2001(c)(2)(B) and (E) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, related to examining a sample of de minimis shipments and establishing performance metrics related to de minimis shipments. (Recommendation 3)
Open

 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Consumer Product Safety Commission: Actions Needed to Improve Processes for Addressing Product Defect Cases

GAO-21-56
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC's Assistant Executive Director of the Office of Compliance and Field Operations should establish a policy or procedure that sets forth specific steps CPSC staff should take to manage timeliness for product defect cases with varying characteristics. As CPSC develops this policy or procedure, CPSC should consider whether updates or revisions are needed to existing timeliness goals to make them more useful for the purpose of managing the timeliness of cases with varying characteristics. (Recommendation 1)
Open

 Actions to satisfy the intent of the recommendation have not been taken or are being planned.
In August 2022, CPSC issued a new standard operating procedure (SOP) that provided guidance for CPSC staff on how to assign prioritization designations to product safety hazards. The SOP outlines criteria for assigning these designations based on four levels of hazard priority and notes that CPSC staff will use a newly created tracking tool to track and regularly review these priority designations. The SOP also provides some general guidance on how staff resources should be assigned to product safety cases in consideration of the priority designation. However, the SOP does not include specific steps staff should take to manage timeliness for product defect cases with varying characteristics. For example, it does not address how timeframes should be managed through applying timeliness goals or other methods of managing timeframes. In response to follow-up questions, in April 2023, CPSC noted that the SOP directs staff to take steps to prioritize product safety cases with a high priority designation. However, until CPSC sets forth additional details about how it will manage timeliness in regard to this recommendation, this recommendation will remain open.
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