Although the new Consumer Product Safety Commission product safety complaint database has been open for public use for only a few months, we think it is working well. There have been hundreds of thousands of visits to the new website, and people are reporting safety problems as intended. So we can’t help but wonder why the House may soon (PDF download) vote to defund the new database by cutting $3 million from the CPSC’s budget.

A recent analysis by staff for Representative Henry Waxman supports how valuable the new database is becoming. Their analysis of consumer product incidents reported to the database over a three-month period from its launch on March 11, 2011, to June 7, 2011 reveals:

• The database contains more than 1,600 product safety incidents, including 11 reports of incidents that resulted in fatalities, 483 reports of incidents that resulted in an injury, and additional reports of product defects that could cause injury.

• Kitchen products accounted for one-third of incident reports, followed by home maintenance, nursery equipment, furniture and furnishings, and toys.

• Consumers reported the vast majority of product safety incidents to this database, though state and local agencies, public safety officials, health care professionals, and even child service providers reported incidents.

• There have been more than 305,000 visits to the website and 1.8 million product searches have been conducted by visitors. More than half of all site visits and almost half of all searches occurred in June 2011, indicating that the database is rapidly becoming more popular among consumers and other individuals.

The database, found at www.saferproducts.gov, allows consumers to file safety complaints about consumer products as well as read the complaints that others have filed. Prior to launching the new database, the public would have to file a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) and wait months or sometimes years to get product-specific safety information. Now the information is available readily at your fingertips.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has had a similar database in use for years. Theirs can be found at www.safercar.gov.

Apparently, some members of Congress are afraid that making product safety complaints public will somehow harm the businesses whose products get cited in the complaints, perhaps as a result of inaccurate information. We have seen no evidence that this database has harmed businesses. In fact, some manufacturers have appreciated learning about potential hazards with their products and addressing them as necessary. Plus, the database gives manufacturers the opportunity to comment on postings involving their products and set the record straight if the information posted by the consumer is erroneous. Those reports can help make other consumers aware of hazards with the product they own or are about to buy, thus protecting them from potential injury. Isn’t this what it’s all about?

Our bottom line: Don’t mess with success!