Day 4 marked the close of the ICPHSO 2026 Annual Meeting & Training Symposium in Orlando, Florida following a jam-packed week of education, exploration, and meaningful dialogue about the future of product safety and regulatory compliance in the U.S. and beyond. The day began with the traditional passing of the gavel to welcome incoming ICPHSO president Dani Cugini while acknowledging and celebrating the accomplishments of outgoing President Chris Harvey.  

Then, in a first ever for ICPHSO, participants were thrust into the Courtroom for a mock-trial experience, giving many product safety professionals their first inside look at the complexities and challenges of litigating safety and products liability issues. Crowell’s “court reporter,” Sean Ward, was on the scene with a riveting recap of all the action. As court was called to recess, Day 4’s short program concluded with a series of plenary sessions highlighting the consumer perspective and the need for inclusive and proactive safety solutions that recognize the dynamic challenges faced by vulnerable populations and ensure accessibility to safety information for all. 

Below is a closer look at select sessions from the final day of ICPHSO 2026. 

Continue Reading Day 4 of the ICPHSO Symposium: Courtroom Drama & Consumer Voices  

Innovation is a word that carries real weight in product safety. Is there an emerging “duty to innovate” — a duty to proactively adopt feasible, safer technologies — or is innovation simply a good practice that may also reduce risk? That is exactly what a panel of industry and legal professionals tackled at this year’s ICPHSO Annual Meeting & Training Symposium, with the goal of surfacing a practical toolkit for product safety professionals on when to push innovation, how to document feasibility and tradeoffs, and how to navigate regulatory momentum without stalling products that should go to market.

The panel brought together four voices with rare depth across law, engineering, and corporate governance: Kyran Hoff of GE Appliances, Meghan McMeel of Crowell & Moring, John McNulty of Google LLC, and moderator George Wray of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP.

Here are the four key themes that shaped the conversation.

Continue Reading Is There a Duty to Innovate? Key Takeaways From ICPHSO’s Most Timely Panel

What does Taylor Swift have to do with product safety? According to the panelists who took the stage for the first plenary session at the ICPHSO Annual Meeting & Training Symposium, quite a lot. As the opening lyric reminded the room, looking backward may be the only way to look forward.

Moderated by Molly Lynyak of ASTM International and featuring Joan Lawrence of The Toy Association, Cheryl Falvey of Crowell & Moring, and Dana Baiocco of Clyde & Co., the panel walked through more than five decades of product safety history — and drew some sharp lessons for where the industry goes next.

Continue Reading The Product Safety Eras Tour at ICPHSO: Lessons from the Past, Challenges for the Future

Day one of the ICPHSO Annual Meeting & Training Symposium in Orlando, Florida made one thing crystal-clear: compliance is the floor, not the ceiling. From the call for open safety collaboration and human-centered design to urgent warnings about siloed post-market surveillance and the double-edged promise of AI, the message resonated throughout the room: product safety is a business imperative, a trust builder, and, increasingly, a competitive differentiator. Here is a closer look at the two themes that defined the conversation on day one.

Continue Reading Day One at the ICPHSO Symposium: Compliance Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling

President Trump has nominated Karen Sessions to serve a seven-year term as Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), marking the latest step in reconstituting the agency following unprecedented leadership turnover. On February 11, 2026, the White House announced Sessions’ nomination to replace former Commissioner Mary T. Boyle. If confirmed by the Senate, Sessions will serve a full seven-year term on the Commission, which is responsible for product safety oversight and regulation.

Continue Reading White House Nominates Karen Sessions as Commissioner for the Consumer Product Safety Commission

This past week, Senators Amy Klobuchar, Maria Cantwell and Edward Markey penned a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) with “concerns regarding the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into children’s toys.” The letter requests the CPSC respond by January 31, 2026 explaining how it will ensure children are protected from certain harms posed by AI.

Continue Reading Playtime with AI? Senators Urge CPSC to Act 

2026 will be a significant year for retailers and e-commerce companies, with significant changes on the horizon that will affect the entire industry and ecosystem. In this alert, we highlight the top issues retailers and e-commerce companies should be aware of and ready to tackle in 2026. Click here to continue reading the full version

On December 12, 2025, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC or Commission) published a direct final rule updating the mandatory safety standard for bassinets and cradles to align with ASTM F2194-25, the latest version of the voluntary consumer safety specification.[1] The rule describes responsibilities for manufacturers, including importers, and incorporates the new ASTM standard by reference. While the rule does not expressly state responsibilities for retailers, under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, retailers may not knowingly sell products that violate the applicable safety standards,[2] nor can such products be lawfully imported into the US.[3]

Continue Reading CPSC Finalizes 2025 Bassinets and Cradles Safety Standard

Register now to join Crowell & Moring for “Recall Execution Bootcamp: Practical Skills for Fast-Track Recalls,” a webinar that will cover the fundamental steps and considerations to execute a recall in a manner that minimizes business disruption and ensures compliance with regulatory expectations. This webinar will take place on Thursday, January 22, 2026 from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET.

Continue Reading Register Now! Recall Execution Bootcamp