The federal government is moving forward with new regulations to make portable generators safer.
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously yesterday to advance a proposal that would require portable generators to emit less carbon monoxide and to shut off automatically when the deadly gas reaches a certain level.
- The invisible and odorless gas claims an average of 85 lives a year, making generators one of the deadliest consumer products the CPSC regulates.
- If the proposal is finalized, it will be the first time that the federal government will require companies to manufacture generators that protect consumers against carbon monoxide poisoning.
- CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric said,
“This issue has been going on for too long, and too many people have been dying each year. It’s a tremendous step forward.”