CPSC using social media for safety advisories

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is launching “CPSC 2.0,” their social networking initiative. The site is designed to better inform the public about food safety issues.

The CSPC press release states the organization believes the new social network will enable them to rapidly expand its reach to millions of consumers. “Through social media, CPSC can directly reach millions of the moms, dads and others who need our safety information the most,” CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in the release. The launch of the social networking initiative was timed to coincide with CPSC’s Furniture and TV Tip-over Education Campaign. Through the use of blogging and podcasting, CPSC hopes to raise public awareness about tip-over dangers in the home. Chairman Tenenbaum added, “Safety can often be achieved through education, and we plan to use every available technology to keep Americans informed.” The CPSC has set up an “OnSafety” blog, which has messages, articles, videos, podcasts and other information. The site also has a ‘Recall Widget’ tool that anyone can easily add to their Web site. In addition to the blog, the agency has a YouTube channel, a Twitter page, and a Flickr page.