Updates and
Recent Events

September 18, 2006 - Ed Heiden Discusses Availability and Use of Risk Data in Product Recall Determinations at International Bar Association Meeting

Heiden Associates has an extensive track record of extracting, analyzing, and applying public and proprietary risk data in product recall determinations. At the International Bar Association's annual meeting in Chicago, Dr. Edward J. Heiden provided an overview of North American and European injury data sources and outlined three alternative approaches to using these data to develop risk assessments of products potentially subject to recall.

The presentation summarized the factors relevant to product recall determinations under both the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and the European General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). Dr. Heiden concluded by noting that quantitative, risk-based assessments of potential hazards are gaining broader acceptance on both sides of the Atlantic.

IBA Presentation [Powerpoint]

April 14, 2005 - D.C. Bar Association CLE Seminar Features Ed Heiden

Dr. Edward J. Heiden and nationally recognized product safety attorney Michael A. Brown of Brown & Gidding, P.C., conducted a continuing legal education (CLE) seminar, "What Every Product Safety Attorney Needs to Know", for the District of Columbia Bar Association. In the first session, Michael Brown reviewed the history and structure of the CPSC, firms' reporting obligations, penalties for failure to report, and the emergence of a post-sale duty to warn. In the following session, Dr. Heiden presented information about CPSC's hazard monitoring data sources, methods of evaluating product risk and safety issues, assessing recall effectiveness, and developing strategies for mitigating civil penalty exposure for non-reporting violations under the agency's statutes.

CLE Seminar Presentation [Powerpoint]

May 19, 2005 - Ed Heiden Updates Key CPSC Staff on Recall Effectiveness Research and Proposes New Initiatives

As part of an ongoing effort to improve understanding of how to increase consumer participation in product recalls, Dr. Edward J. Heiden provided a comprehensive briefing on recall effectiveness issues for several key Consumer Product Safety Commission staff members. The presentation summarized important results from the 2003 Heiden Associates/XL Associates research study on consumer motivation and behavior (a report sponsored by the CPSC) and outlined several practical applications of that research. Some examples of these applications from a recent consumer outreach program prompted extensive interest and discussion.

The presentation concluded with some proposals for new work to leverage the CPSC's investment in improving recall effectiveness. Dr. Heiden urged those present to consider sponsoring a new statistical study of the factors that "explain" the percentage of consumers who will respond to any given recall, noting that such work had not been undertaken since the early 1980s. He also noted that there were many more lessons for consumer outreach programs that could be drawn from the recall effectiveness research Heiden Associates provided to the CPSC.

CPSC Presentation [Powerpoint]

March 21, 2005 - Ed Heiden Testifies at CPSC Hearing on ATVs

CPSC convened a day-long hearing to obtain testimony on ATV risk issues in conjunction with its review of a petition filed by the Consumer Federation of America. Dr. Heiden presented the results of several statistical analyses Heiden Associates has conducted on behalf of the major ATV distributors. His testimony examined statistical trends in ATV injury and fatality risk, and provided an updated comparative risk assessment that provides context for evaluating the level of risk associated with riding ATVs. Dr. Heiden also presented data on the prevalence of warned-against behaviors in fatal injury incidents.

ATV Hearing Testimony [PDF]