Product Safety History is built from publicly available government product-safety data, currently focused on recall records published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
This page explains where the data comes from, how it is used, and how to report a possible error.
Primary Data Source
The primary source for the current database is official U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall data.
Product Safety History uses CPSC recall records to identify information such as:
- recall number
- recall date
- product name
- recall heading
- hazard information
- affected-unit quantities
- incidents
- remedies
- manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers
- model information where available
- official CPSC recall URLs
Individual recall records link to the official CPSC notice whenever an official source URL is available.
The CPSC remains the authoritative source for current recall instructions, remedies and regulatory information.
How Source Data Is Used
Official recall records are imported into a structured database. Product Safety History then adds normalized fields that make related records easier to search and analyze together.
These can include normalized:
- product categories
- hazard categories
- brands and companies
- model identifiers
- recall relationships
The original source record and the normalized classification serve different purposes.
The source record preserves the information published by the government agency. The normalized data makes historical grouping and analysis possible.
For more detail on how recall records are classified, counted and summarized, see the Methodology page.
Historical Data Can Be Inconsistent
The recall archive spans many decades. Older and newer records can differ substantially in formatting, terminology and level of detail.
A product may be described differently across separate recall notices. Company names can change or appear in different forms. Affected-unit quantities can be written as free-form text rather than structured numbers.
Because of these differences, historical data sometimes requires interpretation and normalization before it can be used in aggregate calculations.
Corrections to Normalized Data
If an apparent error is identified in Product Safety History’s classification or interpretation of a record, the normalized data can be corrected without changing the original government source information.
Examples of possible corrections include:
- a recall assigned to the wrong product category
- a hazard incorrectly classified
- an incorrect or incomplete brand name
- a number mistaken for a model identifier
- an affected-unit quantity interpreted incorrectly
- an expanded or reannounced recall incorrectly treated as a separate historical event
Corrections to normalized data may change the totals or tables shown on historical pages.
Missing Information
A blank value does not necessarily mean that the information did not exist.
It can mean that the source record did not provide the information in a form that could be identified reliably.
For example, a blank Model(s) value can mean that no usable model identifier was available. A missing affected-unit quantity can mean that the source text could not be safely interpreted as the number of U.S. units involved in the recall.
Product Safety History generally prefers leaving a value blank rather than making an uncertain inference.
Reporting a Possible Error
If you find information that appears incorrect, please report it for review.
When possible, include:
- the page URL
- the CPSC recall number
- the information you believe is incorrect
- what you believe the correct information should be
- a source supporting the correction, if available
Corrections are reviewed against the underlying source record before the normalized data is changed.
Official Recall Information
Product Safety History is a historical research and discovery tool.
If you own or use a recalled product, do not rely solely on information summarized on this site.
Consult the official CPSC recall notice for the current remedy, safety instructions and contact information.
Independent Website
Product Safety History is independently operated and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission or any other government agency.
Government agency names and public records are used to identify and organize the source material on which the database is based.