"Uncle Sam", the Product Safety Man: Consumer Product Safety Standards in the Marketplace and in the Courts

Though the standards movement in general-and the voluntary standardization system in particular-is ripe for intensive public scrutiny, the scope of this article is not so comprehensive. We narrow our focus to that portion of the standards movement which is concerned with consumer product safety in the United States. Of necessity, our examination requires a definitional framework and a brief inquiry into standardization as a discipline. It also requires a familiarity with the economic forces that shape the voluntary and mandatory standards.

But once having brushed these areas lightly, we will turn to the core of our inquiry: the role of consumer product safety standards in the marketplace and in the courts.