USA: Safety Standard for Products Containing Button Cell or Coin Batteries is entering into force

 

USA has announced that the Safety Standard for Button Cell or Coin Batteries and Consumer Products Containing Such Batteries, whose draft was published in February 2023, will finally become effective on 23 October 2023.

In February 2023, as required by Reese’s Law, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) to eliminate or adequately reduce the risk of injury from ingestion of button cell or coin batteries by children six years old and younger. In the NPR the Commission preliminarily determined that no existing voluntary standard met the requirements in Reese’s Law at that time. In this document, however, the Commission determines that one voluntary standard, substantially revised since publication of the NPR, now meets the requirements in Reese’s Law with respect to performance and labeling requirements for consumer products containing button cell or coin batteries. Reese’s Law states that after a determination of sufficiency by the Commission, such a qualifying voluntary standard is treated as a consumer product safety rule. The Commission is publishing this determination, as required by Reese’s Law, as well as a direct final rule to incorporate the voluntary standard by reference into our regulations. Consumer products subject to performance and labeling requirements in this direct final rule must be tested and certified as compliant with the direct final rule.

Compliance and enforcement dates: Third party testing and certification of children’s products subject to this rule is not required until on or after 20 December 2023. Consumer products containing button cell or coin batteries that are manufactured or imported after 23 October 2023, must comply with this direct final rule. However, in recognition of limited testing availability and for the avoidance of hardship, the Commission is granting a 180-day transitional period of enforcement discretion from 21 September 2023, through 19 March 2024.

The full text of the Regulation is available HERE.

To find out more about product compliance in USA, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.