As New Year resolutions go, it would be nice to believe manufacturers have vowed to work even harder to keep their products safe. We know, for the most part, products sold in this country are safe. We have government agencies, public interest groups, and safety organizations keeping a fairly vigilant eye, but the sheer number of new products introduced each year can overwhelm even the most safety-obsessed Ralph Nader-wannabe.
It is easy to vilify toy manufacturers—especially after 2007—but nothing has shown that there was any intended malice when it comes to all the recalls. Maybe there was some ignorance involved, maybe a few “blind eyes,” maybe even some illegal transactions—we really don’t know. Hopefully, if such shenanigans were going on, they will be revealed, and the parties involved made accountable. But at this point, we should all be happy the problems were uncovered and policies made right.
Keeping a promise is a question of character, of making a commitment and doing everything possible to fulfill it. Let’s hope product manufacturers make the promise to do more to keep us all safe, even if it costs a little more and means it takes a little longer for a product to hit the market. Let’s make 2008 the Year of Safety.
January 02, 2008
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